May 2017 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

Erik Kerrigan in Semis of DIII Doubles National Tournament

ATA College Prep alum and current University of Chicago freshman Erik Kerrigan is currently competing in the DIII Men’s Individual National Championships this week.

Erik worked his way to the quarterfinals of the singles draw before going down to the #1 seed 7-6, 6-3, ending his run in the final 8.

He and partner Ninan Kumar won their first two matches in the doubles draw to earn a spot in the final four today. Good luck to Kerrigan and Kumar in the semifinals! Check back here for updates.

ATA’s Roger Chou Wins 6A UIL State Title For Westlake HS

ATA Academy standout and current Westlake High School junior Roger Chou claimed the 6A UIL State Championship crown on Friday, outworking Kevin Zhu of Pearland Dawson 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the final.

Chou is the first boy’s singles champion from Westlake since 2010, and only the sixth in the history of the school.

The State tournament unfolded on the Texas A&M University courts in College Station. Chou entered ranked in the top 5 of the boy’s 18s in the USTA Texas rankings and adds to his already 5-star tennis resume.

Congratulations to Roger and the rest of the ATA Academy players who competed in the UIL State tournament in all divisions.

Donna Berber of Glimmer Speaks To ATA – See The Video Here

Yesterday evening, Donna Berber, Founder and CEO of A Glimmer of Hope, spoke to the ATA community about her story of exposure and inspiration that led to the creation and growth of Glimmer. She also discussed the role ATA has played in contributing to the impact Glimmer has made so far in rural Ethiopia and beyond.

‘Mrs. Berber’s speech was amazing and inspiring,’ said Juan A, a student at ATA CP. ‘She painted a vivid picture in my mind of the living conditions in Ethiopia and it was really effective,’ said Max S.

In case you weren’t able to attend or if you’d like to see the speech again, here is a video:

Sweeney, Perim, Valenty, Chou To Compete in 6A State Tourney

When the UIL 6A Texas State High School individual tennis tournament unfolds this weekend at Texas A&M University, four ATA Academy players will take the court – all from Westlake High School.

Marcus Sweeney and Loli Perim will combine forces to try to earn a Mixed Doubles title.

AJ Valenty will compete in the Boys Doubles draw.

Roger Chou is set to battle in the Boy’s Singles draw.

With 8 entries in each draw, each will need to win 3 matches to take the State title. The players will serve it up over May 18th and 19th. Good luck to all!!

Donna Berber of Glimmer To Speak To ATA Community

Donna Berber, founder and CEO of A Glimmer of Hope Foundation, will speak to the community on Tuesday evening May 16 from 6-7pm.

“I am extremely excited and pleased to announce that we will be hosting a short speech and Q&A session with Donna Berber,” ATA CEO Jack Newman said. “It’s been a number of year’s since we had Donna speak at ATA and you will not want to miss it.”

The Austin Tennis Academy has a long standing relationship with A Glimmer of Hope Foundation and the Berber family. All three Berber children, Ryan, Shane and Jake, were members of the Academy program and Donna and Philip have been long-time advisory board members as well as multifaceted supporters of the Austin Tennis Academy. The Austin Tennis Academy has made a pledge to raise $1,000,000 for A Glimmer of Hope over 20 years.

Our current funds raised for A Glimmer of Hope are: $532,487.

The breakdown of how those funds were allocated include:

2 School Projects
A Heath Post
34 hand-dug wells
3 shallow Borehole wells
Daletti Reservoir
Gonok Deep Borehole well
Famine Relief
Microfinance loans

“A Glimmer of Hope Foundation has a unique model of helping,” Coach Newman said. “Donna is a dynamic and moving speaker. I hope you and your ATA player will plan on attending.”

ATA College Prep – Guest Speaker Series

Throughout the year, ATA College Prep brings in guest speakers who impact our students with thoughtful words of wisdom and inspiration. Often, the stories they tell spark future studies, compassion for others, and ideas for community service projects.

Recent speakers have included: Dr. Reginald Baptiste (cardiothoracic surgeon) and Mrs. Oksana Malesheva (physicist, first generation immigrant, and entrepreneur). Both shared amazing stories about how they grew into and continue to grow in their chosen life passions.

Last Wednesday in Leadership, ATACP students heard from ATA alumnus, Carla Rosenberg, as she shared some of the lessons she learned from tennis that she utilizes in her adult life as a successful entrepreneur. Listed here are her top 15 lessons.

1. Understanding winning and losing

2. Be coachable

3. Be prepared

4. Be decisive

5. You grow the most when you are uncomfortable.

6. Develop others

7. Integrity

8. The power of adjacency

9. Step up when the occasion arises

10. Produce results

11. Everything sends a signal

12. No one is perfect

13. Be flexible

14. Do the little things really well

15. Visualization

Take a look at her full speech:

Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of HIGH INTENTION, DETERMINED EFFORT, and SKILLED EXECUTION. ~Carla Rosenberg