Uncategorized – Page 6 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

ATA Hosts Prize Money Austin UTR Open May 30/31

Registration is underway for one of the first tennis competition events to be held in the Austin area since the shutdown started back in March. The co-ed level-based singles event will be held at Austin Tennis Academy May 30-31 with numerous safety protocols in place.

Protocols being put into place to help players and spectators stay as safe as possible include:

Players will check-in for matches and report scores via text
Players need to wait in their car for their match to be called to minimize the number of players at the site at one time
Four new balls (2 with different numbers) will be left on the court for the players for each new match
Wipes will be available for players to sanitize their bench
Once match is finished, balls should be left on court and score reported via text
One spectator allowed per player

To read the full list of protocols, get more detailed information about the event, or register to play, click here.

A Glimpse Inside Summer Offerings For ATA & ATA College Prep

Even though a few details are still being ironed out when it comes to what Austin Tennis Academy will be serving up in lieu of summer camps, things are far enough along to give a little preview of what’s coming this summer for tennis as well as classes being offered by ATA College Prep.

From the beginning of the shutdown caused by Covid19, ATA has proven its ability to react, adapt, and create from scratch innovative ways to help junior players continue to move forward – first from home and then finding a way to safely conduct practices on court. Numerous parents have expressed their appreciation to Coach Jack Newman for his strong leadership, as well as a proactive approach by him and all the coaches for creating new virtual programming which not only kept kids engaged, but also held them accountable during these challenging times.

While practices have moved back on court, physical distancing and other safety protocols remain a top priority. And those realities of what you might call the ‘new normal’ are driving how ATA will operate this summer. Just about everything will be different from past summers; from the size of group practices to the number of coaches involved to a new name for our summer camps. It’s all being revamped.

SUMMER TENNIS

Instead of camps, we’re calling them Summer Semis. And that should give you some idea of the kid-to-coach ratio ATA plans to use this summer. A professional coach will be on each court working with only 4-5 children in order to maintain recommended physical distancing. There will be two different levels offered in the mornings: QuickStart Summer Semis for 6-8 year olds and Orange/Green Summer Semis for 8-11 year olds. The afternoon Summer Semis sessions will be for Academy-level players. Along with providing an environment that’s as safe as possible, smaller group sizes translate into more playing time and more one-on-one attention which yield greater progress in skill development. And let’s not forget about fun. Our coaches make learning and playing tennis fun!

SUMMER EDUCATIONAL COURSES

ATA College Prep plans to provide two ‘Train Your Brain’ sessions over the summer months. Whether your child wants to get ahead, strengthen foundational skills, or keep their mind engaged, ATACP will feed their love of learning.

There will be at least 9 classes offered during the first ‘Train Your Brain’ session from June 15-July 9 and probably 10 classes during the second ‘Train Your Brain’ session from July 13-August 6. There will also be a full Geometry course for original high school credit (instructor approval required) which will run from June 1 – August 7. Each of the courses will be taught by expert instructors, limited in size (2-6 students), and available via Zoom or on campus with protocols in place for physical safety and distancing.

ATA has a lot going on this summer. Full details on tennis sessions and academic courses should be released by early next week (week of May 18). On-line registration will open at the same time.

National Clay Courts Cancelled/Suspension Extended

Below is the latest update from USTA released on May 15, 2020.

Due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus, and after discussions with the USTA Medical Advisory Committee*, the USTA has suspended USTA sanctioned products and events through May 31. This includes:

• Adult and Junior Tournaments
• USTA League
• USTA Junior Team Tennis
• Team Challenge
• Team Tournaments
• USTA Schools programs
• Tennis on Campus
• Wheelchair events

Additionally, recognizing the evolving and fast-changing nature of this situation, the USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about events and activities taking place after May 31.

All Category 1 and Super Category 2 National Adult Tournaments with an ITF status, all ITF Junior events, all Adults Category 2 and Category 3 tournaments, all Wheelchair L1 – L3 events, and all USTA Pro Circuit events will align with the same calendar as the ITF and be suspended through July 31. The ATP has also suspended events through July 31, while the WTA has suspended select events in July. In addition, the USTA has made the decision, separately, to cancel the 2020 National Clay Court Championships scheduled for July 11-19, and which would have taken place in seven cities across three states.

“The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the tennis landscape, and it is our goal to ensure that the sport is able to be played in a safe and healthy fashion at the parks and facilities throughout the country once the pandemic subsides,” said Patrick Galbraith, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “One of the greatest aspects of this game is that it fosters a true community, and we look forward to the time when we can return to our local courts and use tennis to unite us all, once again.”

The determination has also been made to suspend the calculation and publication of the National Standings List (NSL) for Adult, Junior and Wheelchair play until further notice. The NSL published on March 18 will serve as the most current until tournament competition resumes.

ATA College Prep Students Invited to Sputnik ATX’s Demo Day

ATA College Prep students have been invited to hear and critique pitches being made by five start-ups to Sputnik ATX, a business accelerator based in Austin. This year, in light of COVID19, students will watch the pitches via a Zoom webinar on Thursday, May 14, instead of attending in person.

“This is an excellent opportunity for ATACP students to review new business ideas, observe public speaking and pitch methodologies, and learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur,” said Carol Hagar, Head of School.

Here’s the list of companies making their pitches to Sputnik ATX for investment:
+ Mod Tech Labs: Movie production studios spend countless dollars and man-hours on 3D visual effects. Mod Tech Labs eliminates those costs using AI to make 3D easy to produce.
+ RxThat: RxThat was founded by physicians and experts in pharmacy operations to make prescriptions more transparent and clinical operations more efficient.
+ Trashbots: Trashbots helps K-12 educators teach hands-on STEM affordably. Their kit includes a programmable robot, software to learn coding, and ready-to-go lessons for students and teachers.
+ Kanthaka: Kanthaka brings personal trainers and one-on-one yoga instructors to any location on demand. Through the Kanthaka app, exercisers can summon a highly vetted instructor within as little as 90 minutes
+ FuelGems: Fuel Gems’ proprietary, patented additive increases engine efficiency, fuel savings, and engine life while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Only 1 to 5 grams of nanoparticles are needed to treat 260 gallons of fuel, making this the most powerful additive on the market.

Along with hearing pitches from each of the five companies, students will also get to ask questions during the Q&A period of each presentation as well as provide feedback and share their thoughts directly with representatives from Sputnik ATX.

We’re Keeping Safety Top of Mind For Players & Coaches

Multiple Awards Earned By ATA College Prep Alum

Leadership and how to be a good leader is one of the core lessons coaches at Austin Tennis Academy and teachers at ATA College Prep want their students to learn; and those lessons were not lost on Chase Bartlett. As he gets ready to graduate from St. Edward’s University, Bartlett is being recognized for his leadership on the tennis court as well as on campus.

SEU Athletics announced Chase Bartlett is the recipient of its OUTSTANDING MALE SENIOR AWARD. According to the university, an education from St. Edward’s stands for a tradition in academic excellence, diversity, collaboration and service to others. The Athletics Department wants to enable student-athletes to represent those traditions through academic excellence, teamwork, leadership, good sportsmanship, the courage to take risks and community service. The outstanding senior award is presented to the male and female student-athlete who has best personified the sum of these values.

“Chase is the dream athlete,” said Men’s Tennis Head Coach Estevam Strecker. “He is coachable while being extremely hands-on with his own success. His ability to dissect his own game and apply the information into a plan is unparalleled. He is a great team leader, being vocal when he needs to and being a great listener when asked. For the past four years, Chase has made a huge positive difference in the program and his legacy will be felt for years to come.”

Bartlett’s leadership on campus has been widely noted. He was elected president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the last two years. He also completed over 150 hours of community service during his time as an SEU student.

SEU Athletics also announced that Bartlett earned the 2020 Emma Lou Linn Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award for having the highest cumulative GPA among all graduating male student athletes at SEU. He’ll graduate with a 3.99 GPA.

Back in April, Bartlett received the University’s 2020 Presidential Award along with eleven other students. The Presidential Award is given to outstanding seniors from the undergraduate, graduate and New College programs who embody the principles of the university’s Holy Cross tradition and mission, and have demonstrated excellence in leadership, academic performance and service to the university and other communities.

The Frisco native was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete all four years. Bartlett was a member of St. Edward’s Honors Program, Martin’s Scholar’s Program, Religious Studies Honors Society and Alpha Phi Omega.

On the court, Bartlett guided the men’s tennis program to a No. 6 ranking in a shortened 2019-20 season. He earned two All-America honors this spring, receiving mention for his abilities in both singles and doubles competition. He helped the Hilltoppers to two conference titles and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Bartlett also qualified for the ITA National Tournament twice.

Teacher Appreciation!

“The best teachers show us where to look but don’t tell us what to see.” This message hangs in the staff area of College Prep as a reminder that our greatest mission is to guide individual potential.

Tuesday, May 5, marks the official 2020 Teacher Appreciation Day and most will celebrate this week honoring and remembering the teachers who have impacted and played pivotal roles in our lives. This year’s pandemic has given us a new appreciation for teachers, highlighting the amount of time and patience they put into each child they serve. Tirelessly working and planning and then altering their plans to accommodate online learning and the strange end to this academic year, the support and care they give to their students continues. And although we miss the daily personal interaction within the classroom, the College Prep team has gone above and beyond to make this transition seamless, continuing to inspire our students to utilize the skills they have developed and are developing to reach their potential.

Some local businesses will offer freebies during Teacher Appreciation Week, but the most rewarding gift a teacher can receive is a personal acknowledgment, a thank you for the effort they have put into YOUR development. Take a moment to let a teacher in your life know that you appreciate who they are and who they are helping you to become. If you are looking for creative ways to thank your teacher, you could offer a handwritten note or a thank you video, acknowledge them on social media, send them a gift card for books, office supplies, Teachers Pay Teachers website, or a nice dinner out (or for pick-up), or make a donation in their name to AASF or another meaningful organization.

Learning is a life-long adventure and it is the guidance of our teachers that directs us on our paths of curiosity. Whether it is a seemingly insurmountable challenge, a kind word of encouragement, a new perspective, or a little extra support when you need it, let the teachers in your life know that you appreciate the time and creativity they put into you and your learning experiences.

Happy Learning!

ATA College Prep Hasn’t Missed A Beat

In a few short weeks, the school year will be officially over for students who attend Austin Tennis Academy College Prep. Seniors will get to participate in their graduation ceremony; teachers will issue ‘regular’ final grades; students and teachers alike will begin their summer vacations. Unfortunately, those will not be the same scenarios experienced by millions of school kids across Texas, or even the rest of the country, due to the sweeping shut down caused by the Novel Coronavirus.

“Impressively, we have not missed a beat,” said Carol Hagar, Head of School. In spite of the shutdown, ATA College Prep students have not missed any classes. That feat can be attributed to the nimbleness of Hagar and her staff, as well as a bit of fortunate timing. On March 23, when the shelter in place order was issued, CP was on Spring Break and before leaving for the nearly three-week break (just in case) students were required to take home all of their books and supplies.

As soon as it became clear students would not be able to physically return to school, the CP staff wasted no time coming up with a game plan for continuing classes remotely. Thanks to the staff’s resourcefulness and use of current technology, making the move from teaching in the classroom to teaching at home was a seamless one. “Because we had been utilizing live streaming of classes for traveling students, most were familiar with the technology,” said Hagar. “We did a few tutorials for Zoom, GoogleDocs, and FlipGrid; and these tools have kept our community connected emotionally and intellectually, even though we are apart physically.”

“The beauty of Zoom is that students and instructors can still see each other and participate in the personal, meaningful conversations and Socratic dialog that is such a powerful part of our community culture and curriculum.” Along with keeping the community connected, there was another area Hagar and CP teachers believed critical for their students. ‘We chose to keep the same class schedule and to stay in the normal rhythm that we had all become accustomed to which has also helped with the ease of transition,” said Hagar. “As a school, we continue to meet in the mornings for Leadership and current events, and each student has a writing coach they can regularly connect with as they work through their research.”

CP made the transition to virtual classes a month ago, and so far, things have been running smoothly. Academic content will be completed as planned and on schedule; feedback from parents and students has been positive and appreciative; and, by all accounts, CP will finish the school year strong.

Those accomplishments trigger a sense of pride for the CP team, however, the revelations that surface during challenging times may provide the greatest insight into the ‘real’ work they do. “The personal connection and care inherent in this community of leaders have developed attributes in our students that are carrying them through this challenging period and that is a glimpse into how they will handle bigger challenges later in life.’ said Hagar. “Honesty, resiliency, positivity, work ethic, and eagerness to excel are all within them and because of that, we will keep moving forward regardless of temporary obstacles.”

It’s About More Than Hitting Tennis Balls (updated)

An Austin Tennis Academy Alum is behind one of the latest volleys launched in the battle to get St. Edward’s University to reconsider the decision to eliminate six of its athletic programs. Chase Bartlett is an exiting senior who played on the SEU’s Mens Tennis team, which is one of the programs scuttled amid financial concerns engendered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Bartlett posted a video on his FaceBook page which he called an Open Message to the President of St. Edward’s University and its Board of Trustees. After that message became public, Coach Jack Newman responded with a supportive message to his former primary student. “My initial reaction was one of pride,” said Coach Newman. “As a coach, you do not get to see the results of your work until long after that work has concluded. I felt pride at any impact I might have had on his character that led to this message.”

Coach Newman points out the two of them had spoken about opportunities Bartlett’s teammates might have in regards to transferring, but did not know his former student was going to post the message. “He did not consult with me about it other than a conversation about his teammates, but I am happy about that. Our goal as educators is to produce independent thinking and acting adults. Mission accomplished!”

“As an exiting senior, Chase has his life planned out for the next step,” said Coach Newman. “His speaking out is really for his teammates and future students of SEU.” Coaches, players and alumni of SEU have banded to together in hopes of uncovering a different solution. One of the school’s golfers, started a petition to reinstate the six programs, and Bartlett encourages people to sign. They want to get 25,000 signatures, and that’s more than six times the size of SEU’s student body.

**UPDATE*** St. Edwards has now outlined a possible way to bring back the six teams, however, it requires each team raise an enormous sum of money before May 31. For the golf team alone, $2.3 million; similar amounts are required of the other five teams, including tennis.

The fundraising requirements don’t stop there. After the $2.3 million by the end of May, the golf programs would then have to raise around $3 million per year over the next five years to permanently endow the programs.

A website has been created for making donations towards the teams’ fundraising efforts; nearly $30,000 has been pledged as of 1:00 pm on May 2 (when this story was updated). Click here to go to that website if you would like to make a donation.

There have been at least 9 students from ATA attend St. Edward’s over the years, including Tommy Collins, the Head of English at ATA College Prep. Both the Men’s and Women’s Tennis coaches at St. Edwards are former ATA coaches. “Coach Estevam Strecker and Coach Kendall Brooks are outstanding human beings as well as terrific tennis coaches,” said Coach Newman. “It saddens our entire community their teams got cancelled.”

“This decision at SEU should give many college coaches pause. Coach Strecker and Coach Brooks are exemplary coaches with programs that have improved each year for the past 4 years. Their rankings are the highest they have ever been. If these two coaches’ programs can be cut, I would think other coaches would feel some trepidation about the security of their own programs.”

Coach Newman admits he’s concerned that many more college tennis programs are in jeopardy. He believes current players will find it more difficult to get a spot, especially at D1 programs where last year’s seniors can return for another year without penalty. This new reality is just one of the reasons Coach Newman is working overtime, continuously reaching out to college coaches in hopes of ensuring as many ATA players as possible will achieve their dreams of playing collegiate tennis.

Anyone who spends any amount of time at ATA knows Coach Newman and his staff develop much more than just the skills needed on court in their players. “Tennis is a tool to shape lives,” said Coach Newman. “Our goal is to help students learn valuable lessons through training and competition that we hope will serve them in the bigger world outside of tennis.”

USTA Extends Suspension And Cancels Some Events

April 13, 2020

UPDATE ON SUSPENSION OF PLAY AND EVENT CHANGES

Due to the continued situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus, and after discussions with the USTA Medical Advisory Committee, effective immediately the USTA will extend the suspension of USTA sanctioned products and events through May 31. This includes:
•  Adult and Junior Tournaments
•  USTA League
•  USTA Junior Team Tennis
•  USTA Social Leagues
•  Team Challenge
•  Team Tournaments
•  USTA Schools programs
•  Tennis on Campus
•  Wheelchair events

Additionally, recognizing the evolving and fast-changing nature of this situation, the USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about events and activities taking place
after May 31.

“The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the tennis landscape, an it is our goal to ensure that the sport is able to be played in a safe and healthy fashion at the parks and facilities throughout the country once the pandemic subsides,” said Patrick Galbraith, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “One of the greatest aspects of this game is that it
fosters a true community, and we look forward to the time when we can return to our local courts and use tennis to unite us all, once again.”

All Category 1 and Super Category 2 National Adult Tournaments with an ITF status, all ITF Junior events, all Junior, Adult and Wheelchair L1 – L3 events, and all USTA Pro Circuit and professional events will align with the same calendar as the ITF, ATP and WTA, and be suspended through July 12. The National Clay Court Championships, slated to begin on July 11, will proceed as scheduled, at this time.

The determination has also been made to suspend the calculation and publication of the National Standings List (NSL) for Adult, Junior and Wheelchair play until further notice. The NSL published on March 18 will serve as the most current until tournament competition resumes.

In addition, to ensure that play taking place at local facilities will be thefocus once the pandemic subsides, the following events will be canceled for 2020:
•  USTA League National Championships
•  USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships
•  USTA Junior Intersectional Team Championships

For more information on the cancelation of the USTA League National Championships and USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships, please visit the FAQ.

Coach Newman Updates The ATA Community

Dear ATA community,

Like most of you, we have spent the last three weeks recovering from a punch in the collective stomach. While the shelter-in-place order did not catch us by surprise, it, along with the severity of the COVID 19 virus crisis, was still a shock to everyone’s system.

Our number one priority remains the health and safety of our entire community.  My personal goals and focus right now are as follows:

1. Don’t get COVID 19 personally. I am, as well as some of our older patrons and coaches, in the high risk age group over 60 with pre-existing health issues.
2. Don’t spread COVID 19.
3. Do things that will allow ATA to continue long term after this crisis period. Keep our coaches, teachers and staff financially sound.
4. Keep our academy players in a rhythm, getting better in all areas so when they can compete again, they are ready to do well and excel in all areas of their game.
5. Provide our younger, non-academy players as much support as possible.

Without a doubt the COVID 19 pandemic has forced players, parents, coaches and society in general out of rhythm and purpose.  Since we are not on court there are challenges, but there are plenty of things to improve, as our mental training sessions this past year has taught us.

We feel the number one thing we should be doing is help create rhythm and purpose for our players. By having our fitness and academy meeting at our normal time, doing our normal things, we hope to bring at least some level of normalcy to our players.  And they have responded, virtual attendance has been close to 90{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} of ATA players.

I am so proud of how our coaching staff has responded to providing quality virtual improvement, team camaraderie and fun these past weeks.  And we are prepared to continue providing as the crisis continues.  There is great value in helping our players have rhythm.

Our messaging to players has been along this line: “Our goals have not changed. We need to act like pros: we get up and make our beds; we get ready to do amazing at school; we get ready to push it in fitness with Josh and Dio; we have a short break and then we have academy practice, same rhythm, same timing as if we were on the court. We are getting better as tennis athletes every day because we are on a disciplined path.”

Our fitness and academy sessions have another set of objectives. We want our players to:
* Feel Safe
* Feel the ATA community sense of Belonging
* Think Positively and have hope about our Futures

We are trying to act as agents of ongoing purpose for you and your tennis players. It’s incredibly important to have a collective purpose for our community.

One of our goals is to have our players making good decisions. The more stress we are under, the worse our decision making. By creating rhythm we are reducing stress, and this helps our players make better decisions.

Players recently heard from Dr. Jim Loehr. He is a great believer in the power of story. In every story, there is a villain and then some sort of massive action to conquer the villain. The story arc is that we don’t have a court because COVID 19, the villain has stole it. What is our massive collective action going to be to defeat that villain and come out of this stronger and better? By staying in rhythm and working hard together, we will defeat the villain of our lives story. Stay focused on your long term goal.

The current news coming out stated Texas Governor Abbott is working on recommendations on how to safely reopen businesses. We will be following the guidelines and hope to be back on the court and in the gym soon. I know our team would welcome that. We are hard workers who want and need to get back to work on the tennis court. However, we do not want to do anything which endangers our students, staff, families or community.

I imagine our come back will be staggered with private lessons resuming in person first, utilizing the precautions we were following before the shelter-in-place order took place, as well as the addition of face coverings for coaches and students. With modified group training to follow as safety dictates.

At this time, we are not sure of the timeline, but will keep you up to speed.
In the meantime, please help your ATA player attend our virtual sessions. There are great things happening in these sessions. Feel free to attend yourself, especially our fitness sessions, exercise does everyone good.

In fact, parents are invited to join Coaches Josh and Dio in a collaborative fitness session with the SotoTennis Academy in Spain. The livestream called Fitness Aces happens on Tuesday mornings at 9 am. You can watch it live on ATA’s FaceBook page or view at a later time which works in your schedule. Here’s a little video teaser.

From our entire staff, we wish to send safety, health and happiness to everyone in the ATA community.

Hoping to see you at ATA soon,
Coach Newman

Jack Newman
CEO
Austin Tennis Academy.

Coach Jack Newman Announces ATA’s Plan

The City of Austin and Travis county have issued shelter in place orders. All non essential businesses are ordered to close. ATA closed as of the deadline last night.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this over the past few weeks as we anticipated this response to the COVID 19 pandemic and have the following thoughts:

I believe each and every one of us should follow the shelter in place order for the prescribed 2 weeks. This is a challenge for everyone on many fronts. I think it is easy to take for granted no one we know personally has gotten sick or died, yet.

However, I believe this virus is bad news and the sooner we limit its scope, the longer we postpone it getting really, really bad, like in Italy or now New York. The more we flatten the curve the longer we give the big brains in our society a chance to come up with a vaccine and/or anti-virals, the quicker we will be back on the court and our economy will prosper again with minimizing sickness and death.

We take pride in developing citizens of significance. We put ourselves out in the public with our students, parents and colleagues in the coaching community as leaders. If we violate this order, what kind of example are we setting for our students? That in a crisis, we know more than the experts? That our lesson income is more important than the health of someone’s elderly relative living with them? That two weeks of training is going to make the difference in one of students junior tennis career? I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to walk the walk of being a good citizen. For the good of all our neighbors we will stay home for two weeks. I think in two weeks we will have much more information than we have today and can make better decisions at that time on how to move forward. I would rather err on the side of caution than take a risk with the health of our students and their families or our coaches and their families and for that matter anyone in the ATA community.

Some of you may have a different opinion about COVID 19 and your response to the shelter in place order, I can respectfully disagree.
I’m pretty sure not many businesses can take more than a 2 week break, maybe 4, but after that I think everyone will be reassessing where we go with this pandemic. Like all small businesses, ATA has a limited amount of cash. Like all workers, ATA coaches need to teach to provide for their families. The question I have wrestled with is this: how much is a life worth? If by sheltering in place, not getting infected and thereby not infecting anyone, do I save lives.

The things I see in Italy and now New York scare me.

I am willing and I am asking ATA coaches to be willing to give up 2 weeks to protect folks in our community. Two weeks now might mean a lot more than two weeks in a few months. We are not offering any group or individual programming at ATA this next two weeks, the pro shop, gym, ball sheds and restrooms will be locked.

It’s going to be a rough few weeks, but I think in the next two weeks the government will get it’s act together and ATA and all of us individually will be able to take advantage of the trillions of dollars that are going to be fed into the economy for small businesses and individuals.

We are still working on obtaining more capital so that ATA can continue to function in case of a longer shutdown. And, we have already completed all the paperwork to apply for SBA disaster relief loans once that is rolled out. I will keep you up to speed on our process to obtain more capital to weather this storm.

I am committed to supporting our coaches who need financial help to weather the pandemic as it goes through Texas and their income is impacted by this shelter in place order. I am committed to having ATA come out of this massive health crisis better than we were before. We have begun getting virtual tennis going and will continue to grow that while we are not on court.

I am super proud of the way we have handled this crisis so far: our health and safety protocols and social distancing have been great. This two-week break is another element of trying to do things right and do the right thing. We have attempted to operate ATA this way from Day 1.

We have a chance to get some new exciting things going at ATA, lets get pumped about WHAT WE CAN DO. Let’s accept the challenge and see what we can do from home.

All my best,
Coach Newman

USTA Extends Suspension of Events

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE USTA

Due to the continued situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus, and after discussions with the USTA Medical Advisory Committee, effective immediately the USTA will extend the suspension of USTA sanctioned products and events, including Adult and Junior Tournaments, USTA League, Junior Team Tennis, Team Challenge, Team Tournaments, USTA Schools programs, Tennis on Campus and Wheelchair events through May 3. Additionally, recognizing the evolving and fast-changing nature of this situation, the USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about events and activities taking place after May 3.

All Category 1 and Super Category 2 National Adult Tournaments with an ITF status, all ITF Junior events, and all USTA Pro Circuit and professionalevents will align with the same calendar as the ITF, ATP and WTA, and be suspended through June 7.

Both the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., and the USTA National Campus, in the Lake Nona area of Orlando, Fla., will remain closed for play and instructional opportunities through May 3. Any patron who wishes to cancel participation in a scheduled activity should contact the specific location for refund information. These policies will be in effect pending additional guidance or directives from each local governmental agency and the CDC. The USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about all activities at these facilities.

Coach Newman Gives Update Concerning COVID-19

Dear ATA Community,

I am sure you are concerned about the COVID 19 virus pandemic which is now in it’s infant stage in the United States. Italy is a few weeks ahead of the United States in the virus spread. Here is an article from The Lancet. And here’s another article regarding COVID 19 that has some really good information as well as links to other articles which you should read.

Over the past two weeks, I have been in regular communication with Dr Daniel Roe, who is an Austin ER doc and on the front line of this pandemic.
His advice is to create as much social distancing as possible. We are in a position to alter the impact of the COVID 19 virus on our health system by social distancing.

Everything I am reading says we are in a cusp moment over the next two weeks that could make or break our health care system’s ability to handle the people who are hit hardest by getting the virus. I think about my two older brothers who have health issues and I think of Hayden Hobbick who has a compromised immune system because of losing his spleen in his recent automobile accident. I feel a strong level of responsibility to make decisions that insure our health care system can adequately manage the Tsunami of sick people that is headed it’s way.

Here are our initial responses:

– We are cancelling our morning camp and afternoon Academy practice for the following week. The weather forecast is for wet weather and that would mean having kids inside which is a good environment to have an asymptomatic kid with COVID 19 infect quite a few others. We must do things to flatten the curve.

– We will take this week to see how much spread of the virus there is then make a decision on the following week.

– We are working on private lesson protocols which would include keeping 10-12 feet apart and no handling of tennis balls. We encourage kids to contact their primary coaches to do private lessons. We encourage families to play tennis together and our facility will be open for your use.

– We will continue with aggressive, multiple times per day cleaning of surfaces.

We encourage each of you to educate yourself concerning the following, all of which are explained in the article above: what it means that COVID 19 is a novel virus, understand the idea of exponential spread (click here for an explainer), understand the concept of personal risk vs. systemic risk, understand the idea of mitigation and how social isolation impacts the spread of the virus.

This is an unprecedented time. We are living through a moment in time that will be captured in the future history books. Let us all be aware of our responsibilities to the communities we serve.

Respectfully,
Jack Newman
CEO
Austin Tennis Academy

Official Statement on Suspension of Events

Due to the heightened concerns surrounding the COVID-19 virus, effective immediately the USTA will suspend all USTA sanctioned products and events, including Adult and Junior Tournaments, League Tennis, Junior Team Tennis, USTA Schools programs, Tennis on Campus, Wheelchair Events and USTA Pro Circuit Events. The health and safety of all players, staff, fans and volunteers are the foremost concern. This suspension is in effect through April 20. The USTA’s goal will be to reschedule events where possible following this suspension period. Additionally, recognizing the evolving and fast-changing nature of this situation, the USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about events and activities taking place after April 20.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., and the USTA National Campus, in the Lake Nona area of Orlando, Fla., will remain open to the general public for play and instructional opportunities. However, all group activities will be limited in the number of participants. Any patron who wishes to cancel participation in a scheduled activity should contact the specific location for refund information. Additionally, the fitness facilities, showers and food service at both facilities will be closed. These policies will be in effect pending additional guidance or directives from each local governmental agency and the CDC.

Click here for tips and recommendations for facilities and players, regarding COVID-19 from the USTA.

COVID-19 Update From USTA Texas

Update as of March 12, 2020; 2:05 pm

Due to rising concerns and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, USTA Texas has decided to suspend sanctioned tournament play through the end of March 2020.

We will update this information weekly to keep you informed regarding upcoming events in April 2020 and beyond.

All entry fees will be refunded for the suspended events through March 2020. Please be patient as we work to issue refunds over the coming weeks.

Thank you for your understanding as we work through this unprecedented situation.

Official updates from USTA Texas will be posted on this page.

Coach Newman Addresses the novel Corona Virus, Covid-19

Dear parents, players and patrons,

Like you, I have been tracking and thinking about the novel Corona Virus COVID-19. We have been discussing our plan of action for the past few weeks, consulting local health professionals and our advisory team as well as seeking the input of parents.

I wanted to share with you our plan of action concerning the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.

First of all, young people seem to be fairly safe from COVID-19. Those who get the virus recover from it without much difficulty. However, from the CDC, those with higher risk are: older adults, and people who have chronic medical conditions like Heart disease, Diabetes, or Lung disease.

We want to be responsible members of our community and help slow the spread and reduce the impact of this virus if we can. As of today we will be implementing the following measures:

Any staff or student who is sick should stay home or will be asked to go home if showing symptoms of virus.

Mandatory hand washing. We are asking coaches and players to wash their hands before and after practice. We will also be providing hand sanitizer wipes and gel.

We will continue cleaning and disinfecting surfaces 2x per day.

We will replace handshaking with elbow bumps or racquet touches.

We will continue to monitor state and local health departments for information regarding any COV-19 outbreaks in our local community.

Although we do not foresee this occurring at this time, the possibility of temporarily canceling school or tennis programing might become necessary to help curtail the spread of the virus. We also respect the decision parents need to make for the health and well-being of their children and extended families.

We will be looking to local health officials to determine if, when, and for how long to take any further steps.

Some common sense advice from Coach Dio:

1. Drink plenty of water. Half of your body weight in ounces
2. Go to bed on time. 1030 pm-2:30 am = immune system repairs. 2:30am-6:30 am = your physical body repairs.
3. Exercise, but don’t over exercise
4. Eat healthy foods. Choices!
5. Think positive
6. Practice breathing- calm down
7. WASH HANDS!!! For 20 seconds with SOAP

It’s not time to fear; it’s time to prepare our immune system! And that should be done everyday.

We will keep you advised as we know more about our local situation.

I have attached a PDF of LTISD Superintendent Brad Lancaster’s email to his community that I think makes good common sense.

Let me know if you have any questions or concern.

Sincerely,
Jack Newman
CEO
Austin Tennis Academy

Register Now For Free Webinar

Have you walked away from a conversation with your young athlete and thought, “That didn’t go very well.”? Or perhaps you and your spouse would like to have more constructive and less defensive, talks with your kids about lots of things. This webinar will give you specific strategies for improving family communication.

Learn which topics to discuss and which ones to avoid
Discover how to balance a conversation between two toxic traps
Master the art of connecting with your kids through meaningful dialogue

The How to Improve Sport-Family Conversations webinar will be held on Thursday, March 19 at 8:00 PM CST. It is slated to last 45 minutes as well time for as questions and answers. This month’s Life-Skills Webinar will be hosted by David Benzel, founder of Growing Champions for Life.

Click here to register and save your spot for the event.

Josh Rifkin Earns MTPS Designation

Austin Tennis Academy Coach Josh Rifkin passed a rigorous educational curriculum testing theory and practical applications to become the International Tennis Performance Association’s newest Master Tennis Performance Specialist. MTPS is the highest possible tennis fitness designation in the industry reserved for tennis-specific specialists with significant experience, expertise, and contributions to the industry.

MTPS’s curriculum includes extensive Pre-Work, a 3-day extensive practical program with quizzes and presentations, and Post-Work demonstrating the applicant practically applies the knowledge. Coach Rifkin is one of less the one-thousand people world-wide to achieve the MTPS designation.

The IPTA offers three levels of tennis-specific certification: Tennis Performance Trainer (TPT), Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS), and Master Tennis Performance Specialist (MTPS). “Josh has demonstrated he is a leader in this industry and possesses extensive tennis-specific knowledge and expertise,” said Dr. Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., FITPA, CTPS, MTPS, CSDC*D, the iTPA Executive Director. ‘Training tennis players requires specific knowledge about the unique movements and demands of tennis which is different to most other sports, and the iTPA has the role of bringing the most credible information, backed by science, to educate and certify individuals who work on improving physical performance and/or preventing injury.”

Coach Rifkin joined the coaching team at Austin Tennis Academy in 2016.

“Little Mo” Sectionals Begin In Texas; Registration Is Open

The “Road to Little Mo Nationals” kicks off in March with the first 2020 Sectional tournament taking place March 7-8 in Cypress, Texas. Little Mo events are competitions for girls and boys ages 8-12 years old. There’s still time to register for this event; the registration deadline is 11:30 pm CST on March 1. Click here to register for the Cypress Sectional.

If your child can’t play on March 7 -8, there will be two more “Little Mo” Sectionals held in Texas. The next up takes place in Arlington on March 28-29. Click here to register for the Arlington Sectional. The third and final Sectional in Texas will be held on May 2-3 in Fair Oaks Ranch. Click here to register for the Fair Oaks Ranch Sectional.

Quarterfinalists (top 8) from each of the sectional tournaments advance to the four “Little Mo” Regionals held in the summer. Click here for the entire Little Mo schedule.

Semifinalists (top 4) from the regional tournaments advance to the “Little Mo Nationals” held once again at Austin Tennis Academy on September 25-28. “Little Mo” Nationals features the youngest and brightest stars in American tennis. Coco Gauff won the “Little Mo” Nationals in 2012 (age 8) and said, “the ‘Little Mo’ was where the belief began.” Sofia Kenin also won the Nationals in 2008 (age 10) and she is the 2020 Australian Open champion!

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