“Tennis” by William McEwin

William McEwin is a second grader that is in ATA’s Junior Development program. He wrote this poem for school and it is about his match at a Junior Team Tennis event. If you have ever met William he is very energetic and you can tell he loves the sport!

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“Tennis”

My tennis game was a miss!

I swung too early, I swung too late.

I swung too low, I swung too high.

I swung too light, I swung too hard.

I did a wrong stroke,

I swung to the side.

That’s ok, that’s alright because I love tennis and it’s a wild ride!!!

Meghan O’Malley To Attend U.S. Naval Academy

Austin Tennis Academy veteran Meghan O’Malley will sign her letter of intent to attend the United States Naval Academy on Wednesday evening while the community comes together to celebrate.

“I am fortunate to have grown up at ATA,” Meghan said.

Meghan has been a consistent staple in the programs at ATA since she was 10. When she looks back on it all, it is the people who stand out the most.

“I am grateful to have trained with great tennis coaches who are also great people,” Meghan said. “They commanded that I give my best on the court and they were dedicated to making me a better player. Most importantly, they cared about me as a person, not just after a match or during a tournament weekend, but every day. I have so many great memories, so many moments that I will remember the rest of my life.”

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Meghan has consistently ranked among the 20 best girls in Texas in her age group, and the top 150 in the United States. She is also a 2-time National Champion as a member of the Dream Team in Junior Team Tennis. Just last weekend, Meghan reached the semifinals of her draw at USTA Texas Excellence. With plenty of on court success, it is her personal growth and perspective off the court that has been Meghan’s biggest takeaway from her time in the sport.

“ATA has taught me resilience, discipline, dedication, and commitment. Playing tennis has provided me with a foundation of some pretty amazing life lessons. ATA encouraged me to be a good tennis player but also a citizen of significance. I think that’s the biggest difference with ATA — it provides us with a culture to give back and to grow to be a leader. I think the culture of ATA led me to think about what I want as an adult. I want a life of purpose, to be part of something meaningful, something bigger than myself.”

With her strong sense of mindfulness and connection to citizenship (Meghan recently raised over $5k for Wounded Warriors), the Naval Academy was a natural fit. More importantly, though, Meghan has been well acquainted with the Navy for as long as she can recall.

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“My dad was an officer in the Navy, so it has always been a part of my life,” Meghan said. “I grew up knowing that the Naval Academy was special. I knew the Academy would provide me with a strong academic education and outstanding opportunities to develop leadership skills. But it was my visits to Annapolis and to the Yard where I really learned that it is an exceptional place. Everyone works hard and everyone has a strong drive to succeed.”

Meghan will join a Navy Women’s Tennis Team that is about half way through the 2015-2016 season and is 7-4. The team competes in The Patriot League, where historically they have made 4 tournament finals appearances in 8 seasons.

I am really excited to be a part of the Naval Academy’s tennis team. I immediately connected with Coach Puryear, Coach Pedergnana, and the players on the team. I’m excited to continue to take my game to the next level and continue to compete.”

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Meghan will also enter a tough academic environment. As a science and technical school, The Naval Academy focuses heavily on science and math, with military education that includes ethics and leadership training.

“While I don’t know exactly what I want to study, I’m leaning towards International Relations then pursuing a law degree. The Naval Academy faculty invests a lot of time in helping students choose a field of study so I’m also going to be open to new ideas and experiences. My summers will be filled with hands on training on our nation’s fleet. I will spend time on different kinds of ships, in different parts of the world and will have the opportunity to spend summers abroad. I’m most excited about being on an Aircraft Carrier and learning more about Naval Aviation.”

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Meghan will rely on academic foundations developed during her six years as a student at ATA College Prep.

I think ATA CP is a very special and unique place. The small class sizes made it easy to have meaningful discussions, and it enabled me to have strong relationships with my teachers and my peers. At ATA CP, I learned how to learn, and I learned how to enjoy the process of learning. Of course grades are important at CP but it’s also about being curious and having an open mind for new experiences.”

For her senior year, Meghan is attending Vandegrift High School in Austin – on of the top public schools in the city.

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“I’m enjoying my first and last year as a public high school student. It’s a much different experience and I’ve learned a lot from it. First, most of my classes have over 30 students in them. I have dedicated teachers, but they don’t have flexibility to make sure all the students understand the topics. There have been many times where I must choose between academic or tennis success. Also, teachers are bound by many rules. They’re sympathetic when I have a big tournament coming up or when I miss several days of school for tennis, but they can’t change test dates or project due dates. This has helped my time management, and I’m learning to operate on less sleep. But, it has made me appreciate the ATA CP teachers; they looked out for my development as a whole.”

Through the whole process – nearly a decade of tennis training and accomplishment – the lasting sentiment for Meghan has nothing to do with tennis.

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that I am responsible for my success and my happiness. Every experience has the opportunity to provide me with things to complain about, thing to be grateful for and things to learn. I have the ability to choose what I focus on.”

Please join the ATA community as we celebrate with Meghan and her family at her Signing Ceremony this Wednesday evening at 6:30 in the ATA Fitness Center.

ATA dominance at Excellence

ATA players comprehensively dominated their respective draws at last weekend’s SuperChamp Excellence tournament held in Austin and Corpus Christi.

Abigail Chiu captured the Girls 18s A draw in impressive fashion the week after she won Doubles Excellence. After notching a straight set victory over the #1 ranked player in Texas in the semifinals, Abigail played her best tennis in the finals against the #6 ranked player in Texas, Sydney Riley, who recently signed to play at Clemson. According to Coach Doug Davis, “Abigail was mentally tough throughout the three set battle and she used an effective blend of aggressive baseline play combined with smart defensive play and well timed advances to the net to secure the victory.” Naval Academy signee Meghan O’Malley also had a strong performance by reaching the 18s B draw semifinal and Alex Mjos staged a dramatic comeback in the finals of the 18s C draw over teammate Kristin Kerrigan. As was the case with Abigail Chiu, Alex Mjos had considerable momentum coming into this tournament after winning the 16s A draw Doubles Excellence title the week before.

In the Boys 18s A draw, Princeton signee Payton Holden showcased his brilliant shot making abilities in reaching the semifinals. Another highlight of the Boys 18s A draw was the epic four hour battle waged between ATA teammates Erik Kerrigan and Jake Berber that Erik won 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in the longest match of the tournament. According to Tournament Director, Brian Notis, “both teammates displayed great spirit and tremendous respect for each other.” Numerous spectators commented on how Erik and Jake acknowledged each other’s great shots and how they frequently engaged in friendly banter in between points. This was ATA valued sportsmanship at the highest level, according to Coach Notis. Equally noteworthy, the Boys 18s B draw was highlighted by Chase Bartlett courageously fighting his way to two victories despite having to serve underhanded throughout the tournament as a result of an injury. The Boys 18s C draws were dominated by Jesse Wikso and Roger Chou. Despite both of them playing up an age group, Jesse and Roger were able to win their respective draws in convincing fashion.

The Girls 16s A draw produced a semifinalist, Georgia Wright, and the tournament champion, Callie Creath. Coach Brandon Davis said “Callie played some of the best tennis I have ever seen her play; she was fully committed to owning her aggressive game style and it paid off.” Coach Brandon also noted that Callie’s opponents in the semifinals and final had beaten her the previous two times. Coach John Schoenmakers was equally encouraged by Georgia’s more aggressive play and increased pace on her groundstrokes that contributed to her semifinal finish. It should also be noted that ATA newcomer Kailey Chase, who is beginning to reap dividends from her hard work and openness to coaching, reached the semifinals of the 16s C draw. Kailee Meyer’s improved focus in practice is also starting to pay off with a semifinal result in her respective 16s C draw.

Tyler Anson’s steady hard work over the past 12 months is also beginning to yield impressive results as shown by winning his 16s B draw. Coach Newman noted that it was the first tournament he has seen Tyler “in full-out competitor mode, pumping his fist, encouraging himself, and holding himself as if he believed he was the best player in his draw.” Juan Abboud, who just moved up into 16s this month, continued his winning form by capturing 5th place after knocking out the #1 seed in his 16s B draw. And Kyler Bender did a great job of bouncing back and winning three consecutive matches in his 16s C draw.

The Boys 14s A draw saw a breakthrough performance by Blaine Kanak. In his quarterfinal match, Blaine fought back from down a set and down 1-4 in the second set to defeat the #4 seed in a third set tiebreaker. Blaine followed up with another great performance in the semifinals, narrowly losing after yet another epic battle. Coach Notis attributes Blaine’s breakthrough to his improved poise and focus as well as his newfound willingness to utilize tactical discipline. Blaine’s doubles partner, Max Schmidhauser, finished strong in the 14s A draw after losing a three set heartbreaker in the first round. Max bounced back with excellent mental toughness to win three consecutive matches against higher ranked opponents. In the Boys 14s C draw, Matthew Gavrilov had another strong tournament by reaching the finals.

In the Boys 12s A draw, James Cockrell showed he is a top player in Texas winning his first round and then being 2 points away from taking the first set against the #1 player in Texas. In his third round, he dominated the match and made quick work of his opponent. His last match, he lost a close three set battle 7-6(8) in the third. According to Coach Kalapala, “James competed very well and is making big strides mentally when the matches are tight.”

Two of the youngest girls in the Academy program also showed encouraging progress at Excellence. Sasha Malysheva showed signs of her vast potential by reaching the semifinals of the G12s B draw. According to Coach Rifkin, “Sasha plays beyond her 11 years with excellent focus, intensity, energy and mental toughness.” Kerry Lum, who only super-qualified in December, continued her rapid improvement by winning 3 matches in the Girls 12s B draw. With younger players like Kerry and Sasha making great strides, ATA’s future is indeed bright.

Abigail Chiu: Winningest doubles player in ATA history

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G16 Doubles Summer Grand Slam Champion

Capturing the Girls 18s doubles title at last weekend’s Excellence tournament is yet another accomplishment in a storied junior career filled with a variety of other significant doubles titles that Abigail Chiu has earned in sectional, national and international competition.

Abigail first made her mark as one of the premiere doubles players in the country by winning a Bronze Ball at the Girls 12s Hardcourt Nationals in 2010. This victory was the beginning of a remarkable string of USTA Balls in doubles including winning a Silver Ball at the Girls 14s Winter Nationals in 2012 and a Gold Ball at the Girls 14s Easter Bowl in 2013 that highlight just a few of Abigail’s accomplishments in national competition. Abigail has also distinguished herself in international doubles competition by reaching the finals of the prestigious Eddie Herr tournament in 2012 as well as winning 3 ITF titles in Paraguay (2013), Daytona Beach (2013) and in her hometown of Austin (2015). However, perhaps the best indication of Abigail’s dominance in doubles was represented by her earning the #1 ranking in USTA National girls 16s doubles. Abigail’s impressive body of work in doubles is best summed up by ATA Head Coach, Doug Davis, who has served as Abigail’s primary coach for the past 4 years: “Abigail Chiu is the winningest player in ATA history in doubles events on an annual basis with a varied range of partners in every level of junior tennis in the US.”

Abigail’s doubles skills have also served her well with college coaches during her recruitment process. College coaches prefer recruiting players who are not only good singles players (Abigail has earned the #1 singles ranking in Texas in 12s, 14s, and 16s), but also accomplished doubles players. Coach Lucie Schmidhauser, who has traveled to many national tournaments with Abigail over the past 2 years, recalled an insight Paul Wardlaw, Brown University Head Women’s Tennis Coach, shared with her while watching Abigail and her partner dominate their opponents at Claycourt Nationals in July: it is easier to make great doubles players into valuable singles players than the other way around. This may be one of the reasons Abigail has been heavily recruited by Brown, Columbia and Dartmouth while also being seriously considered by Harvard. Coach Lucie is confident that “Abigail will be a force to be reckoned with in Division One college tennis with her attacking mindset, superb volleys, quick reflexes, and strong fundamentals.”

Photo Gallery

Take a look at some photos of the students on the court and in the classroom!

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  • Just west of the Hill Country Galleria on Hwy 71 past 620, across from McCoy’s
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