What is your name and where do you currently live?
My name is Hunter Bleser and I am currently residing in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Which years did you attend ATA and/or ATA CP? 
I attended ATA and ATA CP starting summer of 2015 and graduated in the Spring/Summer of 2016. However, I have been working at ATA since the summer of 2017.

Which college do you attend; when do you graduate and what will your degree be in? 
I graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in English and did not return to UVA to pursue my bachelors in nursing. I decided to take my fifth year at West Virginia University where I am finishing up prerequisites for nursing school. I was recently accepted to Duke’s Accelerated Bachelor’s of Nursing Program, so I will be moving to Durham once I complete my year here at WVU. 

How did you feel about graduating earlier this year? 
It was bittersweet. I was excited to move on to a new chapter in my life. On the other hand, I said good-bye to a sport I have known and loved for 18 years and leaving a group of phenomenal girls with whom I have spent the last four years of my life. They have become part of my family and it’s hard to say goodbye to family, but I am excited to see what they end up doing. I know it will be difficult putting away the rackets, but I know it definitely won’t be a permanent break.

Is there a big takeaway you’ve discovered from the process you’ve been going through in regards to finding employment or making a career decision post-college? 
One thing I have noticed with applying for jobs and post-graduate programs is that admissions committees and employers find it very impressive if a candidate is a student-athlete. For future advice, I would say take advantage of all the hard work you have put in and use that title because you have earned that title. They want to know that you were successful on court and in school because it shows them you are disciplined and have incredible time management skills. The athletic side will attest to your competitive nature and desire for improvement. 

If you could go back to your junior tennis career, would there be anything you would do differently or would tell your younger self? 
If I could go back and tell my younger self a piece of advice it would be to start making it a habit of doing the little things. The little things can range from making sure you are actually stretching after practice, going out and hitting serves, developing good eating habits, getting sleep, etc. Looking back, I wish that I would have been more disciplined in these small areas because now it separates the good from the great from the exceptional. 

What was your most memorable moment or significant highlight in college and/or playing college tennis? 
For me, there is one memory that sticks out in my college career: our first dual match of the season my first (freshman) year. We were playing Boston College and the match got tied 3-3, it came down to my court. I was able to clinch it at 6-4 in the third. That match was significant for me not only because it was my first time to clinch a match, but that feeling of my teammates rushing towards me in excitement and celebration reminded me of why I chose college tennis. 

Looking back, what would you say is the biggest impact your time at ATA has had on your life? 
The biggest impact ATA had on my life was that it made me come out of my comfort zone. I would say that the people there helped me grow into a stronger individual and made me step up into leadership roles. Before, I was very content in hiding in the background and keeping my head down. Now I am much more comfortable taking responsibility and holding myself and my teammates accountable. I know what it means to be a leader on and off the court, and I know what it takes to help not only myself, but my team prosper. Without their guidance, I would not have become the individual I am today. 

Who is your favorite professional tennis player? 
My favorite male tennis player would be Federer. My favorite female tennis player was Maria Sharapova. 

What’s the best piece of advice given to you by one of your coaches? 
“If you’re not a leader on the bench, don’t call yourself a leader on the court. You’re either a leader everywhere or nowhere.”

Did you have any superstitions in your junior/collegiate tennis career and if so, what are they? 
When I was in juniors I was very superstitious about what I would eat. If I had a certain dinner the night before and won the next day, that would be my meal for the rest of the weekend. The same would apply to breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. It would even get to the point where I would make sure the quantity matched up every time. I would also never where a shirt again if I had lost in it previously. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to junior players regarding going through the college selection process? 
One piece of advice I would give junior players regarding the college selection process is choose a school that fits you and you could see yourself going to. Don’t choose a school just because they may be high-ranked athletically or academically superior unless that is what will make you happy. Ultimately, you are the one who is going to be there so the decision should be entirely yours. 

While 2020 is turning out to be anything but predictable, there is one thing we can count on: that nothing is going to be like what it’s been in previous years and that holds true for ATA’s End of Year Party. This year, thanks to Covid19, the party is happening in the virtual world. However, other than everyone not being able to get together in person, you can expect to experience everything you’ve come to love about this annual event: the awards, the speeches, the surprises, the laughs, the music, the memories, and the end of year video.

Mark your calendars and set an alarm so you can tune in to watch Sunday night (August 23) at 7:00 PM CST right from the comfort and air conditioning of your own home.

Click here for the link needed to join the party. The passcode is R60xaU.  

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.”

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. 

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