Friday, the 13th of January was anything but unlucky for ATA player Kenna Erickson. That was the day Erickson and her doubles partner, Linda Ziets Segura, won the doubles title in the J4 ITF tournament held in San Jose, Costa Rica.

“Kenna had an excellent week in San Josè, Costa Rica. It was her first time traveling out of the country and to bring home a title on the same trip is special,” said Coach Ashley Weinhold, ATA coach who traveled with Erickson. Erickson also made it into the semi-finals in singles of the same tournament. Coach Weinhold said “It was impressive how she bounced back from a tough semi-final singles loss and 45 minutes later brought out a strong level of energy and determination into the doubles final. Kenna and Linda played fantastic all week together and deserved the title – it was fun to watch them gel so easily. Kenna experienced some firsts this trip and I believe grew in the process which will help her in future tournaments and travel to come.”

The doubles championship is the first title Erickson has captured outside of the United States thus far in her junior tennis career. In the past 14 months, she has won two Gold Balls (2022 Easter Bowl, 2021 National Indoors), two Bronze Balls (2022 National Clay Courts, 2021 National Indoors), and a number of junior tournaments in Texas as well as around the country. “Kenna Erickson continues on the journey to reach the junior grand slam tournaments,” said Jack Newman, CEO/Owner of Austin Tennis Academy. “Her goal is to play the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open as a junior and to go on to be a pro competitor. That road requires you to travel to reach the international competitors who are trying to reach that same goal.”

“If it wasn’t for Jack Newman and the foundation (Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation) Kenna may not have the opportunity to chase her tennis dreams,” said Jon Erickson, Kenna’s father. “Thank you to her coach Ashley Weinhold for her coaching and for traveling with her. Thank you to her team for preparing her, Coach Jack Newman, Coach Doug Davis and fitness Coach Migdoel Miranda, as well as the team of coaches and teachers at Austin Tennis Academy. What a community that we are so grateful to be a part of!”

The 2022 holiday season won’t be one soon forgotten by Austin Tennis Academy junior player, Jack Ingram. That’s because he’s headed back home carrying a prestigious ‘Silver Ball’ from the B18 doubles finals at the USTA National Winter Championships. Ingram and his partner, Christian Gonzales, had an incredible run culminating in playing a full third set in the finals match of the Level 1 tournament held annually in Florida.

While the dynamic duo came up short, it’s no small feat when it comes to making it into the finals at any of the six different national championships held by the USTA each year. Hundreds of junior players from across the country come to compete for the chance to win a Gold, Silver or Bronze ball. “It means the whole world to me,” said Jack Ingram. “When I was 12, I would have been happy just getting into a big tournament like this, and now getting a silver ball has made me even hungrier for what’s to come.”

Ingram’s primary coach, Brian Notis, is also excited about Jack’s accomplishment and what lies ahead. “It has been a privilege to be on this journey with Jack for nearly five years,” said Brian Notis. “There have been incredible highs and gut wrenching lows along the way. Through all of that, Jack has always bought into the process of working hard and smart to improve each day. I could not be prouder of him and I’m so happy for him that he’s gotten to experience such an incredible week. We are both looking forward to getting back to work next week to keep moving forward and shoot for the next goal and the one after that!”

Along with Ingram, there were nine other ATA players who qualified to compete at Winter Nationals: Matthew Cizmarik, Kenna Erickson, Lila Fuller, William McEwan, Nico Jamison, Aya Manning, Tristan Stine, Maddie Wasserman, and Elliot Wasserman. Erickson finished the tournament tied for 7th place of 128 players in G18S.

“It’s gratifying to see so many ATA players reaching the USTA L1 level of competition,” said Jack Newman, ATA Owner/CEO. “These players work for years on the court and in the gym to reach this level of accomplishment. To be in the 5th, 6th and 7th day of week-long tournaments tests you physically and mentally. Their parents make fantastic sacrifices to allow these athletes the opportunity to test themselves at the highest level. Kudos especially to Jack Ingram and primary coach Brian Notis for reaching the elite level of USTA Silver ball for winning 2nd place in B18
doubles.”

This is the 22nd consecutive year Austin Tennis Academy has held its Pro-Am Scholarship Shootout. Over the past two decades, the ATA community and its neighbors have raised more than $1.2 million to support dedicated and deserving student-athletes in the pursuit of their dreams through the Austin Athletic Scholarship Foundation.  Just like year’s past, there are plenty of ways for you to get involved.

First, here’s the lowdown. The event will be held October 28-30; the Player Party (with Banquet and Auction) takes place Friday night, October 28 on the grounds of ATA; the Pro-Am Calcutta Tennis Tournament kicks off Saturday morning bright and early with breakfast followed by plenty of tennis played through mid-afternoon; Sunday is reserved only if weather conditions prevent play Saturday.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:

• Purchase a Supporter’s Ticket to attend the Player Party on Friday night
  
• Purchase a Players Ticket to play in the Pro-Am Calcutta Shootout Tournament on Saturday which automatically provides entry to Friday night’s party/auction and a player’s swag bag
  
• Purchase a VIP Ticket which reserves a table for you and 9 of your friends to Friday night’s party/auction and one player entry into Saturday’s Shootout and one player’s swag bag
  
• Become a Sponsor, Vendor, or Donor for the 2022 Shootout
  
• Make a general cash donation to AASF
  
• Make a cash donation to a specific AASF Scholarship
  
• Sponsor a student athlete and their training at ATA for the 2022-23 school year
  
• Support sending player(s) to one week or multiple weeks of an ATA tennis camp

For those wanting more information about AASF and the Shootout, click here. If you would like to become a Sponsor, Vendor, or Donor – or sponsor a student athlete or send player(s) to ATA camps – please send an email to media@austintennisacademy.com and Kim Kurth will be in contact.

Austin Tennis Academy CEO, Jack Newman, wants to make this year’s Shootout the biggest and the best ATA has ever done, and hopes you can help him achieve his goal!

At the end of September, more than a dozen Austin Tennis Academy players will head to Florida to compete in the 2022 Junior Team Tennis National Championships. Both ATA’s 18U Advanced team and 14U Advanced team will compete for the title against other teams which advanced from their sections. ATA has done very well in year’s past, bringing home the national title on multiple occasions.

The two teams secured their spot to compete at Nationals back in June when each clinched their JTT Sectional Championship. The 18U Advanced team is comprised of the following players: Emma Allen, Brendan Boland, Jack Ingram, Nico Jamison, Kori Montoya, Stacy Shulzhenko, Tristin Stine, and Elliot Wasserman. The 14U Advanced team consists of these players: Abigail Cizmarik, Lila Fuller, Gavin Golod, Aya Manning, William McEwan, Maddie Wasserman, and Alexander Wriedt.

The Advanced division championships take place September 29-October 2; This will be the first time the JTT National Championships have been held since the pandemic started in 2020.

If it’s been a while since you’ve been to Austin Tennis Academy, you need to go check out all the upgrades completed over the summer.

The first of the beautification projects to be undertaken was bringing in gorgeous river rock to be laid in certain areas around the facility, as well as permanent turf installed in once grassy areas. While these additions make a huge difference in how the grounds look, they also help in ATA’s efforts to conserve water and protect the environment.

Next up, resurfacing all 12 of the hard courts. This process saw crews working on a group of 3-4 courts at a time, grinding down the old court surface in order to first build new surfaces, then add the color surfaces.

It took more than a month for all the courts to be completed; then new nets were put up as well as new trash cans hung on each court.

Next, three portable buildings were set up in the tree-lined area behind ATA’s pro shop, gym and locker rooms. The portable buildings have been converted into classrooms to service ATA College Prep’s growing student body. Wooden steps and a wooden deck were built for the new classrooms.

There is also a large tent on the grounds to serve as a meeting place for Leadership and other school-related gatherings. Plus, two tents were set up, one next to court 12 the other next to court 7, to provide shade for viewing during tournaments.

With all the projects completed, Coach Jack Newman – CEO of Austin Tennis Academy – says
ATA is looking the best it ever has!

You’ll be seeing a number of new faces, and one or two familiar faces, on the courts at Austin Tennis Academy this summer. CEO Jack Newman has hired four coaches to work in summer camps, provide individual/group lessons, and be on board for junior programs in the fall.

Estevam Strecker returns to ATA both as a tennis coach and as an instructor at ATA College Prep. Strecker was the head coach for the mens tennis team at Saint Edwards here in Austin until the college dropped its tennis programs. In case you didn’t meet him at the End of Year Party a couple weeks ago, Strecker officially starts in July.

Another familiar face for many of ATA’s JD kids and their parents is ATA alumna Keana Moon.

Moon has returned from college this summer to once again coach in JD camps, and provide private lessons to youngsters playing red ball. Coach Newman is excited to have Keana join the coaching ranks for the summer as she brings lots of experience from her many years as both a player and a student coach at ATA.

Please welcome another female coach to ATA’s team, Qili Ma.

Qili Ma comes to ATA from the University of Central Arkansas where she has been the assistant coach for the past three years while earning her Masters Degree in sports and exercise science; she has a Bachelor degree in psychology. Ma also played Division I college tennis at University of Central Arkansas for four years, earning the highest winning percentage in school history in both singles and doubles, and helped lead the school to its first ASUN conference championship her senior year.

Originally from China, Ma and her family moved to the United States when she was 13 years old. Ma played ITF throughout her junior tennis career, achieving an ITF Junior ranking of 275.

And give a ‘back home’ welcome to Dane Esses, who’s joining the ATA team via the west coast.

Esses recently earned his Masters degree in Entrepreneurship from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where he played Division I tennis as the ‘Line 1’ singles, and was nominated for male athlete of the year. For his undergraduate studies, Esses earned a Bachelors degree in sociology from Tulane University in New Orleans where he also played Division I tennis, and earned a national ranking of 47 his senior year.

Esses is no stranger to Texas or junior tennis in the Lone Star State. He’s a native Texan who grew up playing tennis in Houston (King Daddy Sports). Esses ranked Top 3 in Boys 16s and 18s during his junior career and was a 5-Star Recruit when he graduated high school in 2016.

ATA’S annual ‘End of Year Party’ takes place this year on Thursday, May 26. After more than 9 months of hard work, this is the night when it will be revealed which Academy players will receive what awards. While the majority of the awards are determined by statistics and coaches, it will be revealed which players have been chosen by their peers as this year’s MVP’s.

The End of Year Party will be held at Austin Tennis Academy. The evening will kick off with cocktails at 5:00 PM followed by dinner at 6; the awards ceremony will start at 7:00.

Please RSVP to Lisa.Weinhold@austintennisacademy.com to let us know if you plan to attend.

This summer, your child can take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s Summer Tennis Camps to progress at a rapid rate. Along with our Morning Camps, we are also holding an afternoon Tournament Tough session for Academy-level players.

Let’s focus first on the Morning Camps. There are three different session levels for Morning Summer camp sessions:
QuickStart Summer Camp for 5-8 year olds
Orange/Green Summer Camp for 8-11 year olds 
Yellow Ball Summer Camp for 12-14 year olds

ATA will hold 11 weeks of Summer Morning Camps. The morning session will run Monday through Thursday from 9:00 -11:00 AM each week.  Friday is reserved as a rain makeup day.  

There will also be 11 weeks offered of the Afternoon Tournament Tough Camp Session, which is limited to players competing at the UTR levels highlighted below based on age.
Age Division/Minimum UTR
B18/6.0 G18/5.0
B16/5.0 G16/4.2
B14/4.5. G14/3.5
B12/3.5. G12/3.0
B11/3.0 G11/2.5

Tournament players will improve their game by using competitive gamesituations, technical training and point play, as well as movement and flexibility training.

ATA welcomes guest players to attend these afternoon camps for just one week, multiple weeks, or the entire summer. Anyone interested in registering your child to attend a week, or several weeks, at our Tournament Tough Camps, should email a request to deb.cahill@austintennisacademy.com.

Click here for more information on each of the camp levels as well as to register your child to attend.

Dates have just been released for The Texas Slam 2022. It will held June 10-19 in Geogetown. The Texas Slam is a Level 3 Closed National Tournament and considered Texas’ Sectionals. Around 1,000 kids ages 11-18 compete in the annual tournament, making it the largest junior tournament in the United States.

While specific details about the 2022 tournament have not yet been published, it would be a good idea to start making hotel reservations if your child plans to compete at The Texas Slam.

Here is the link where the latest information about The Texas Slam will be released.

Austin Tennis Academy Coach Shaimaa Elsisi came to the United States more than 19 years ago to play college tennis armed with the hope of one day becoming a permanent resident in this country. Now, thanks to help from Coach Newman and ATA, one of her biggest dreams has finally come true.

“A lot of people in the United States don’t recognize just how lucky they are to live in this country,” said Coach Shaimaa. “Living here is amazing and now I don’t ever have to leave.” Just before the arrival of the new year, Coach Shaimaa received her official Green Card, the immigration document which allows her to live in the U.S. permanently and opens the pathway to citizenship.

“Receiving my green card was one of the happiest days of my life. It means everything,” said Coach Shaimaa. While her home country is Egypt, after originally coming to the U.S. on a student Visa, she’s not been able go back to visit family or leave this country for any reason for the past 13 years; receiving a green card changes that. Coach Shaimaa can now legally travel to dozens of other countries, including Egypt, without fear of not being allowed back into the U.S.

The immigration process is not easy and can take a lot of time. In fact, Coach Shaimaa’s hopes for getting a green card had been dashed several times over the years, but she never gave up and kept believing the right opportunity would present itself one day. “He didn’t hesitate when I asked him to sponsor me in my efforts to obtain a green card,” said Coach Shaimaa. “Coach Newman is always helping. He’s always trying to make sure everyone who works for him is okay.”

“Supporting Coach Shaimaa was an easy yes when she asked.” said Jack Newman, Owner and CEO of Austin Tennis Academy. “She’s a great part of our community. She’s put in the hard work; she’s sacrificed. She demonstrates the right character traits I want our students to see. She has a great attitude and provides wonderful service to her clients and members of the ATA community. It’s only right to pour into her.”

Saying yes meant Newman/ATA provided financial support with providing an immigration attorney and with the U.S. government. “That’s just time and money. I didn’t consider her request a big deal,” said Newman. Coach Shaimaa isn’t the first coach who worked for ATA that Newman sponsored in their quest for a green card. ATA and Newman provided the same kind of support for Estevam Strecker.

Within the tennis industry, ATA is not only seen as one of the best junior academies in the country, but also as a rare and special place. Coach Newman says he’s often asked about how he does things differently at ATA, and his answer reveals one of his strongest beliefs. “It’s critical to take care of the people who make your business successful,” said Newman. “It’s easier to retain good talent than it is to attract new. How we pay, train, and treat our employees is all part of an effort to keep them for as long as we can.”

Coach Newman comes from a family of immigrants; he was the first to be born in the United States. He believes it’s important to recognize and support immigrants, including those within his own staff. “Becoming a permanent resident, and ultimately a U.S. citizen is important to Coach Shaimaa and her family for a lot of different reasons.” said Newman. “The resulting return is going to be off the charts. It’s a win win.” The way Coach Shaimaa sees it, Coach Newman and ATA made a dream come true.