Pressure can do many things; from bursting pipes to producing diamonds. For the ATA junior athletes who competed in last weekends Texas Cup, playing under pressure helped to forge a sturdy foundation of experience that will out-value any diamond in the dividends it will pay going forward.

 

Texas Cup has become an annual tradition between Austin Tennis Academy and cross-town rivals St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.  The event pits the top 12 boys and the top 12 girls from both academies’ in a college-tennis style duel match.

 

“Texas cup matches capture the flavor of dynamic college tennis match rivalries,” Coach Newman said.  “It allows ATA players to get exposed to the more volatile environment that these rivalries foster.  The star players battled hard, fought well and learned how to manage the pressure that team competitions offer.”

Over two days, the players’ battled through 96 total matches, half at ATA and half at SSES, all with on-court coaching and rowdy fan support, just like what they will face in college tennis. This year, St. Stephen’s came out on top, 51 matches to 45 matches.

 

“I really felt like the academy bonded a lot as a team over this past weekend more so than we did last year,” ATA senior Hailee Gopinath said. “Every person on the ATA team played an important role this weekend in Texas cup not only in match play, but in cheering on the sidelines which was really cool to experience. I got a chance to get to know some of the younger players a lot better and had a great time. Overall, although we came out of it with a loss, my last Texas cup was a great experience.”

This format, which is very similar to college tennis, is different from USTA junior tennis tournaments in many ways. First, players are competing as a team, with each match 1 through 12 valued the same as one win or loss. On-court coaching is allowed throughout the matches, whereas in USTA, coaching is only permitted with most split-set scenarios. Also, the atmosphere is fan interactive, with rowdy cheering between every point, utilizing shakers, cowbells and anything else that makes a sound.

 

“I think overall, the weekend accomplished its primary goal, which was to get the kids to play matches,” Coach Strecker said.  “As a whole, the academy players played 96 matches, and that type of experience is priceless for their development. Unfortunately, the taste left by the weekend is a bit sour, since we lost more than we won. I think as a group, we need to use weekends like that to remind ourselves how much more work we need. It was great to see everyone together, cheering for each other and helping each other through some tough times. So, again, I think the goal of the weekend was met, but it could have been better result wise.”

The sentiments from the ATA players and coaches have been similar: there are a lot of positives to take from an all around heavy weekend, both physically and emotionally, that drastically out-weight the immediate sting of losing. Read more comments from players and coaches below, and see many more pictures on the ATA Facebook page:

 

ATA player Molly Fisher :

“Texas Cup never ceases to amaze me. The feeling of being on the court surrounded by people who want you to either win or lose more than anything, it's absolutely one of the most out of this world experiences ever. I felt this year I got to bond with a lot of the younger kids like Alex, Georgia, and Jesse, as well as realize how much my friends close to my age and the people I look up to look after me. This year there was drama everywhere you turned. And I think that drama helped to pull people out of their shell and made them realize how much they wanted to win. I walked out of that facility yesterday feeling mad and determined. Texas Cup 2012 here we come.”

 

Coach Emil Iankov:

“I saw the ATA players for the first time in action -- impressive by all kind of standards. Just to make two, three points -- highly motivated to win, controlled emotions very well. All that was great.
 
Winning is function of multiple factors. One of them is fatigue. Fatigue in two areas - physiological, it reduces the quality of the performance and intellectual, more mental mistakes. Our players should be aware of: A) perceived level of fatigue, B) actual level of fatigue. Many times perceived level of fatigue is greater than actual. It comes first, it is influenced by the result if you are down, repeated technical mistakes, repeated wrong choices, excessive opponent team support, even playing hungry. Realistic self-evaluation, bouncing a few extra times on the base line, taking 20-30 seconds to refocus -- relaxing and thinking to find positives from the current or past situations has a great value during a game. I believe with more experience our players will master this skill, and combined with hard work, will win many more matches in the years to come.
 
It was a fun and great experience during these two days.”

ATA player Aaron Chaffee:

“The intensity of the weekend was a good way to see if you can handle the level seen in college tennis. Even for those who didn’t play, the experience is valuable to see what it is like looking forward to college tennis.”

Coach Kendall Brooks:

"We definitely won the sprit competition. Our team support and energy was impressive and a lot of fun to be a part of. The whole ATA family got to participate and play an active role in helping the players competing on the court."

 

ATA player Jeff Offerdahl:

 

"Texas Cup really prepares you well for college tennis. It makes you play for something bigger than yourself and really helps deal with pressure in lots of different ways. Coming off a tough loss like this this year I think ATA will only be more motivated to work longer and harder to get the results we want in the summer. Like always, Texas Cup is a great team atmosphere. It is always awesome to see everyone cheering for everyone because every match counts just the same no matter the skill level. Texas Cup brings about a certain togetherness that isn't felt at other tournaments. The matches are on the line for the academies sake, so people dependent more on others rather than themselves. Lastly, Texas Cup is a chance to bond with your teammates and let them know you are there and supporting them. I got to cheer for people I don't normally see at tournaments and it was nice to go around and be there for everyone playing for ATA."

 

ATA player Josh Hagar:

 

"Texas Cup is the funnest event to play. You get to play four quality, competitive matches against players that, even though may not be the same age as you, will definitely test your skills. I'd say the coolest thing about Texas Cup, other than the wacky and excited fans that cheer for you every time you win a point or your opponent loses a point, is the addition of on court coaching. ATA has a great coaching staff and I really learn a lot about myself and my game when they are out there. It's almost impossible to lose your match because your strategy was incorrect; this calls for really quality tennis.

Texas Cup 2012, watch out. ATA is comin'!"