January 2016 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

ATA “Lifer” commits to Division 3 National Champions

A much beloved ATA “Lifer” recently celebrated his college signing ceremony with family, friends, coaches, teammates and ATA community members applauding his accomplishment of gaining acceptance to his “dream” school. During his signing ceremony speech, Jake Berber shared: “Claremont McKenna College was my top choice because it’s one of the strongest liberal arts colleges in the country, the tennis team is the reigning Division 3 National Champions and the students there are the type of people who will help me grow as a person.” Jake should be well prepared for the challenges of being a student-athlete at one of the most selective liberal arts schools in the country given his many years of balancing the rigors of ATA’s training schedule with the challenging academic workload at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Jake has enjoyed a number of significant tennis accomplishments over the course of his stellar junior career. The consistency of his singles results stand out as Jake earned a Top 5 ranking in Texas in the 12s, 14s and 16s age divisions while also being ranked Top 50 in the nation in these respective age groups. Despite these impressive accomplishments in singles, Jake says the highlights of his junior career were achieved with his long-standing doubles partner and ATA teammate, Payton Holden, when they won the 16s Summer Grand Slam title and then topped this accomplishment 2 months later by reaching the quarterfinals of the National Hardcourt Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In fact, Jake and Payton were only 3 points away from advancing to a semifinal berth in the National Championship while playing in front of a huge crowd on stadium court. In Jake’s words, “it was a memory that will forever stay with me.”

Jake’s 13 year journey at ATA has left a legacy that will be cherished for years to come and his joyful presence will be deeply missed. Coach Newman, who has served as Jake’s primary coach for most of his junior career, summed up Jake’s legacy perfectly: “in addition to being a great competitor, Jake possesses the qualities we would all like to have in a best friend as he is kind, thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, calm in the face of chaos, and a supportive teammate.”

ATA College Prep Students Debate Policy, Develop Skills

The ATA College Prep Policy Debate unfolded last Friday, with many of CP’s juniors and seniors clashing over the topic of ‘Increasing Military Presence In The Middle East’.

“Debate and public speaking are primary components in an education that matches our mission of developing compassionate, communicative leaders,” said Head of School Carol Hagar. “During their years here, all CP students produce both informal oral presentations and formal ones, as in the recent policy debate. I was impressed with the overall level of research, preparation and poised delivery from each our students.”

The debate, which followed the standard guidelines outlined by the National Christian Forensics And Communications Association, centered on the issue of whether or not the United States should allocate more military resources of all kinds to the Middle East as a solution to the growing instability in the region. CP Junior Alejandro Rodriguez argued for the Negative Team.

“I had a lot of fun in both taking the debate course and doing the actual debate,” Alejandro said. “Because of our topic, I felt like I got to engage in something that is current and relevant, and I got to greatly expand my knowledge on the subject. I really enjoyed the final debate because it was kind of a culmination of what we had researched and practiced for a whole semester and it was cool to see how we all did after so much preparation. The amount of reading we did was really high and in depth and it was a good experience to prepare me for future classes/endeavors.”

Ms. Yousef, who has a background teaching social studies, speech, and theatre, got into debate because to her it is a combination of all of those.

“I teach debate for two reasons: it offers skills that can be an asset in many careers and I enjoy watching students grow in ability and confidence. Debate develops skills in critical thinking, research, organization, persuasion, and writing affirmative cases and negative briefs on US policy. This type of research and organization can translate into many fields. The recent exhibition debate before judges gave the students an excellent opportunity to try their arguments and realize how much they have learned. They have spent many hours researching the resolution, which called for more US military presence in volatile regions and studying the rules of policy debate. I think everyone stood up to the task and should be proud of their performance.”

Congratulations to all of the College Prep students who participated in the 2016 CP Policy Debate!

ATA Hires New Academy and Fitness Coach

ATA recently hired new academy and fitness coach Josh Rifkin, who is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and who has been involved with competitive tennis his entire life. Following his junior career, Josh became the winningestmen’s tennis player in the history of Ithaca College, as well as the first ever Division III All-American in doubles at his college.

Josh’s journey with ATA began in the summer of 2011 after deciding he wanted to pursue a professional tenniscareer. After some research, he came across ATA and took a visit. Immediately after visiting, he felt a strong connection and knew this was the place he wanted to train. After about one year of training, and gaining a great deal of elite level tennis knowledge, Josh decided to take a coaching job back home in Fort Wayne. Throughout his time at ATA, Josh found a passion in the integration of tennis coaching and training for tennis performance enhancement. As a result, he realized he wanted to give more to his students than just tennis. This led Josh to begin pursuing an education andcareer in the health and fitness world. This new career path led Josh to founding his own private health and fitness business where he primarily worked with competitive junior tennis players.

Josh’s relationship with ATA did not end after he decided to go back home to take the teaching job in Fort Wayne. In fact, Josh visited ATA at least once a year to reconnect with the coaches and continue to learn and grow as a tennis coach and fitness professional. During Josh’s most recent visit in September 2015, he was offered an opportunity to become a part of the ATA coaching team.

This was a difficult decision for Josh, as he had established himself with a coaching job and a fitness business back home in Fort Wayne. The decision came down to where Josh thought he could personally and professionally grow the most. A big factor in the decision making process was the players and coaches he would be able to work with, as well as the unique culture ATA has to offer. When Josh came to train as a 22 year old, and when he recently accepted the job offer at 26, he felt a warmness and family environment at ATA that is not easy to come by. The tight knit culture, emphasis on values, character building, community and concept of “living the sport”made the decision a smart one for Josh. It is where he felt he could live his passion of combining his desire to share his love of tennis and fitness while continuing to learn andgrow as a professional.

At ATA Josh will be coaching the academy players and will work with the junior academy and junior development programs. In addition, Josh will help run the academy fitness program. He will also be giving private tennis lessons as well as private fitness training sessions.

Josh’s credentials include:

B.S. Ithaca College

C.H.E.K. Practitioner Level II (Corrective High Performance Exercise Kinesiology)

United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Elite Professional

Certified Etcheberry Coach (Strength, Conditioning and Movement in Tennis)

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)- Performance Enhancement Specialist

C.H.E.K. Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level II

Save Your Spot In Spring Break Tennis Camp

2016 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 14-18, 2016

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.
Lunch may be purchased if ordered in advance for $7.
Players may leave credit card on file to cover pro shop purchases, lunch, etc.
Private housing may be available. Email info@austintennisacademy.com to inquire.
Early drop-off and late pick-up is available upon request for $50 per week.

Erik and Jake’s Signing Ceremonies

Erik Kerrigan and Jake Berber – both had their signing ceremonies last night which were held in the ATA fitness center. They were surrounded by their families, as well as the ATA community to help them begin their transition to college.

Erik Kerrigan signed his National Letter of Intent with the University of Chicago. He will play tennis for the Maroons starting in the Fall. He also received an academic scholarship for his outstanding SAT score of 2350! The university has a 7.8{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} acceptance rate and only 10 percent of the accepted students get scholarships. The University of Chicago is ranked #4 according to US News and has had 89 Nobel Prize winners. Coach Strecker and Coach Newman shared stories about Erik and his time at ATA, congratulating him on the accomplishments he has had in his junior career thus far. Erik also stood up and thanked his family, coaches, friends, teachers at College Prep and the ATA community for supporting him through his journey at ATA.

Jake Berber signed his National Letter of Intent with Claremont McKenna College. He will play tennis for the Stags in the Fall. Jake’s brother and Coach Newman are both alumni of Claremont McKenna College. Forbes ranked Claremont McKenna as the 6th best liberal arts college and 18th best college in the nation. Claremont has 1,349 students with a 9.7{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} acceptance rate. Coach Brandon and Coach Newman had many stories to share from Jake’s experience at ATA since Jake was 5 years old. Coach Brandon knows the Berber family well, as he grew up playing tennis with Jake’s older brothers. Coach Newman had a few stories from his time at ATA but really spoke for Jake’s character. He was told that Jake was one of nine recruits for the Stags. When his future teammates had to pick who they wanted for a teammate, Jake was number 1 on all the players lists. Jake makes friends wherever he goes and is very well liked because of his calm, friendly and understanding personality. Jake has been a top 50 nationally ranked player since he was 12 years old. Combining his tennis abilities and his character, the Stags will have a great future teammate. Jake thanked his family, coaches, friends and ATA community for helping him get through some tough times and also sharing good times throughout his experience at ATA.

Congrats to both Erik and Jake on their accomplishments and their bright futures at their respective institutions!

Parent Seminar with David Benzel Jan 14, 6pm

USTA National Winter Championships Recap

Under the guidance of Coach Newman and Coach Notis, 17 players represented ATA at the USTA National Winter Championships in Phoenix (Boys and Girls 16’s&18’s) and Tuscon (Boys and Girls 12’s&14’s).

Boys 12’s – James Cockrell

Girls 12’s – Sasha Malysheva, Caroline Wernli

Boys 14’s – Juan Abboud, Harrison Chiu

Girls 14’s – Anushka Dania, Megha Dania

Boys 16’s – Jesse Wikso

Girls 16’s – Callie Creath, Kristin Kerrigan

Boys 18’s – Chase Bartlett, Jake Berber, Payton Holden, Erik Kerrigan, Alejandro Rodriguez

Girls 18’s –Hunter Bleser, Abigail Chiu

Several ATA seniors distinguished themselves in the 18’s draw of Winter Nationals. Payton Holden rebounded from a first-round singles loss to win 5 matches in the consolation draw and finish in the Top 24. Hunter Bleser defeated a #17 seed in her first-round singles match whom she lost to a few months ago. Perhaps more importantly, the Head Coach of University of Virginia (where Hunter will be attending this fall) told Coach Newman that he was excited about the improvement Hunter has made in her game since the summer. Erik Kerrigan also advanced himself with his future coaches at the University of Chicago by upsetting the #3 seeds in doubles with his partner Eric Morris. Another senior, Jake Berber, also stepped up and reestablished himself as a national level player by winning 2 singles matches in the backdraw.

Juniors Abigail Chiu and Alejandro Rodriguez advanced their recruiting status with college coaches from some of the most academically elite Division I schools in the country. Abigail won 2 matches in the main draw of singles and cemented her reputation as one of the premier doubles players in the country by reaching the quarterfinals of doubles. According to Coach Newman, “Abigail advanced herself with coaches from Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown and Princeton by competing with a great attitude and showcasing an excellent game style.” During the tournament, Coach Newman had multiple conversations on behalf of Abigail with the Head and Assistant Coaches from Harvard, the Dartmouth Head Coach and the Assistant Coaches from Columbia and Brown. Despite being the last player accepted into the 18’s draw after working his way up the alternate list, Alejandro grinded his way to 3 singles victories in the backdraw, including a win over a #17 seed. According to Coach Newman, “Alejandro helped himself through his outstanding fight and hustle with the Head Coaches from Columbia, Harvard and Northwestern who watched his matches.” Coach Newman made time to have multiple conversations on behalf of Alejandro with each of the coaches from these elite universities.

In addition, Coach Newman spoke to many other college coaches about underclassmen such as Jesse Wikso, Kristin Kerrigan and Callie Creath to lay the groundwork so these coaches know our players before it’s time to be recruited. For example, Coach Newman has already started the college process for 9^th grade Blue Chip recruit Jesse Wikso who competed evenly with the #1 seed in the second round before losing 3-6, 4-6 and then went on to win 2 matches in the backdraw. While Coach Newman is at major national tournaments, he is also talking to college coaches about players who are not at the tournament but who might be a good fit for their school down the line. Through Coach Newman’s long-term approach of developing relationships with college coaches, he is able to open doors and facilitate the college process for ATA players aspiring to compete beyond high school.

In the 14’s draw, Anushka Dania won 3 matches in the consolation bracket after losing her first-round match. Coach Notis remarked on “Anushka’s amazing defensive skills, superior ability to anticipate and intelligent use of variety to keep her opponents off balance.” Harrison Chiu also rebounded from losing his 1^st round singles match (to one of the top players in the country) to win 2 matches in the consolation bracket. But it was Caroline Wernli who shined the brightest in Tuscon in the 12’s draw. Caroline finished in the Top 12 in singles and capped her outstanding tournament by earning a SILVER BALL in doubles with her partner Zoe Hammond from Oklahoma. Coach Notis was blown away by the fact that “Caroline and Zoe played an aggressive brand of doubles finishing many points at the net.” Although Caroline lost a three-hour battle in the round of 16 in singles, Coach Notis was impressed with Caroline’s “unmatched tenacity, consistency, excellent use of the entire court and fighting spirit.” On another promising note, 11-year-old Sasha Malysheva, in her first Level 1 National Championship, demonstrated that she will become a huge threat at the national level in years to come. After watching Sasha begin the tournament by winning her 1^st round singles match against a girl she had lost to six months ago, Coach Notis was impressed with Sasha’s “poise and ability to dictate with her aggressive play.” The future is indeed bright for ATA with young players like Caroline and Sasha leading the charge!

Looking Back… Charging Forward

As we begin a new year, ATA players will be setting their goals for 2016. One of our former students, Kendall Dabaghi was recently written up in Forbes magazine. This got me thinking about our players of the past, many of whom have set and accomplished high goals.

If you walk around the ATA campus, you will see many banners recognizing players from our past.

In case you have not heard about some of these historical moments, I have included a top 10 listing of ATA players and their accomplishments from the past:

(1) Ashley Weinhold (currently playing on the WTA tour) wins Girls 18s National Hard Courts in singles and receives a wildcard into the main draw of the US Open where she played the #4 seed on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Ashley also won 16s Clay Courts in singles the year prior.

(2) Jamie Friedland’s thirty-one match national tournament winning streak in singles catapulted his national ranking in Boys 16s from #156 to #6. The highlight of this winning streak was Jamie winning 9 matches in the back draw and winning consolations of Winter Nationals.

(3) Brandon Davis (former student-athlete and current ATA coach) wins Texas Grand Slam (TGS) 16s singles title and then wins TGS 18s singles title the following year. Brandon went on to play in the NCAA Finals his junior year at the University of Illinois.

(4) Stephanie Kusano wins back-to-back singles titles in 18s at TGS, and later went on to lead Cal-Berkley to the NCAA semifinals her senior year.

(5) Josh Hagar (currently in his junior year at Notre Dame) goes from not having any scholarship offers worth considering due to being injured 9 months of his junior year to receiving offers from Notre Dame, Northwestern, Harvard, Princeton and Rice the following year. Josh went on to star at Notre Dame, playing line #2 singles by his sophomore year.

(6) Josh Hagar launches the Playing for Glimmer campaign and raised $150,000 for Glimmer that funded 5 wells, 1 reservoir, a health post, and 2 schools. This inspired Breck Spencer to create and spearhead the Walk for Water event that raised over $20,000 two years after the Playing for Glimmer campaign was initiated.

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(7) Eliot Blatt gave $4,000 of his own Bar-Mitzvah money to fund a well in Ethiopia, and then raised an additional $10,000 in donations for A Glimmer of Hope.

(8) Payton Holden (current ATACP student-athlete) sweeps the 16s Singles and Doubles Titles at TGS.

(9) Abigail Chiu (current ATACP student-athlete) wins Easter Bowl 14s doubles title and then reaches the doubles finals the following year in Girls 16s.

(10) After overcoming three knee surgeries, Blake Davis grinded his way to a 6th place finish at 18s Clay Court Nationals and later earned a full scholarship to Florida State University where he played Line #2 Singles and Line #1 Doubles for most of his career. Upon graduation, he landed a premier job with Wells Fargo Wealth Management division.

An inspiring fact supplied by Coach Brandon Davis: during the first year of ATA while we were building this facility and training players at Barton Creek Country Club, Stephanie Kusano, Brandon Davis, Blake Davis and Ashley Weinhold swept the following Super Champ titles in their respective age groups: Excellence, Corpus Christi SCMZ, Dallas SCMZ, and TGS.

With this firepower in our past, we look forward to charging the current and next crops of ATA tennis athletes to reach high for their tennis goals.

Happy New Year!!

Jack Newman

CEO

Austin Tennis Academy

Meet CP Teacher And Award-Winning Actress Taylor Flanagan

For the past 41 years, the B. Iden Payne Awards have recognized outstanding work from the theatre community in Austin. Among the honorees this year, the award for Outstanding Featured Actress went to Taylor Flanagan for her performance as young Gabrielle York in When The Rain Stops Falling. On top of putting on award-winning performances, Taylor leads the Theatre and Spanish classes at ATA College Prep.

“Taylor is a quick study and has been able to effectively play multiple roles at College Prep – from registrar to event planner to general organizer to an inspirational Spanish teacher,” said CP Director Carol Hagar. “But it is in her roles as Theatre teacher, director and actress that we see her fully represented. Her ability to integrate the arts into each of her classes not only increases student enjoyment of the class, but also stimulates brain targets, memory retrieval, and the neuroscience of learning. As an extension of applied learning and exposure to the arts, we look forward to CP students attending Austin’s production of Dracula and seeing Mrs. Flanagan perform live and on stage.”

Taylor adds this accolade to an already impressive resume in Austin theatre. She won her first Payne award for Outstanding Youth Performer for her role in The Visit. She also starred in dance-based show Parents/Kids Dance Party, as well as scripted shows like Casket of Passing Fancy, All Too Human, Sun and Moon, and dozens more.

“I am really touched that people were affected enough by this show and my performance to give them special recognition,” Taylor said. “And I was extremely honored to be nominated alongside the other actresses in my category. Being named in the same category as these women was a big deal for me.”

While it’s been a busy year for her on stage – she played Mina in Dracula at The Vortex last month – Taylor’s foundations in theatre date back to classes when she was 5 years old growing up in Austin. Around that time she met Carol Hagar.

“I’ve known Carol since I can remember,” Taylor said. “We were a part of the same homeschooling community (Austin Area Homeschoolers). This group was really close-knit, so I grew up with a huge extended family of peers, teachers and mentors. I also grew up taking theatre classes with her kids, so she’s been there for some of my most embarrassing and exhilarating moments onstage. And now, as my boss, she continues to see me through some of my greatest challenges and successes on a daily basis.”

The two qualities that resonate from Taylor’s background with Carol are also what feed her continued passion for theatre: opportunities to learn and shared community.

“Every play is an opportunity to learn something new. I have learned so much in rehearsal: projection, stage combat, dialects, Shakespearean verse, history, psychology, geography, singing, memorization techniques, different ways people overcome hardship, marketing tactics, stretching, empathy, golf, recipes for fake blood, you name it,” Taylor said. “I love the connection you make with your team and the wonderful conversations that theatre can spark with people.”

On top of leading Theatre at CP, Taylor also teaches Spanish. She was initially drawn to the language so she could communicate with all of the Spanish speakers in Austin, but dove in on a scholarly level in college.

“I did various study abroad programs in Spanish-speaking countries and taught Spanish-speaking children in elementary schools in Peru, Guatemala and right here in Austin before I started teaching Spanish as a foreign language at ATA CP,” Taylor said.

Taylor brings a passionate dedication to her students through her engaging and warm personality. It is no surprise that as she thrives in her role as a teacher, those two core characteristics are still common themes in her life: learning and community.

“CP sees everyone as a whole person,” Taylor said. “I’ve seen it in our approach to our students, but I’ve also felt it as a teacher here. The CP environment regularly helps me look beyond my degree and certifications to learn, grow, and share more of my potential as a teacher and as a person. It is a very empowering place to work and I am extremely grateful for my College Prep family.”

Tonight, Taylor begins rehearsals for her next role in As You Like It with Shrewd Productions at Trinity Street Theatre running Feb 19-March 5th. Learn more here.