Alumni – Page 3 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

Registration Open

This summer, your child can take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s Summer Tennis Camps to progress at a rapid rate. Along with our Morning Camps, we are also holding an afternoon Tournament Tough session for Academy-level players.

Let’s focus first on the Morning Camps. There are three different session levels for Morning Summer camp sessions:
QuickStart Summer Camp for 5-8 year olds
Orange/Green Summer Camp for 8-11 year olds
Yellow Ball Summer Camp for 12-14 year olds

ATA will hold 11 weeks of Summer Morning Camps. The morning session will run Monday through Thursday from 9:00 -11:00 AM each week. Friday is reserved as a rain makeup day.

There will also be 11 weeks offered of the Afternoon Tournament Tough Camp Session, which is limited to players competing at the UTR levels highlighted below based on age.
Age Division/Minimum UTR
B18/6.0 G18/5.0
B16/5.0 G16/4.2
B14/4.5. G14/3.5
B12/3.5. G12/3.0
B11/3.0 G11/2.5

Tournament players will improve their game by using competitive gamesituations, technical training and point play, as well as movement and flexibility training.

ATA welcomes guest players to attend these afternoon camps for just one week, multiple weeks, or the entire summer. Anyone interested in registering your child to attend a week, or several weeks, at our Tournament Tough Camps, should email a request to deb.cahill@austintennisacademy.com.

Click here for more information on each of the camp levels as well as to register your child to attend.

It’s Coming! Are You Ready?

Dates have just been released for The Texas Slam 2022. It will held June 10-19 in Geogetown. The Texas Slam is a Level 3 Closed National Tournament and considered Texas’ Sectionals. Around 1,000 kids ages 11-18 compete in the annual tournament, making it the largest junior tournament in the United States.

While specific details about the 2022 tournament have not yet been published, it would be a good idea to start making hotel reservations if your child plans to compete at The Texas Slam.

Here is the link where the latest information about The Texas Slam will be released.

SAVE THESE DATES IN 2022

This year is moving quickly, and there are some important events on the Austin Tennis Academy’s calendar that we wanted to tell you about in advance so you can save the dates. Here’s the list:

MAY 25 – ATA COLLEGE PREP GRADUATION

MAY 26 – ATA END OF YEAR PARTY

OCTOBER 28 – SHOOTOUT 2022 PLAYER PARTY

OCTOBER 29 – SHOOTOUT 2022

Of course, we will be sending out more information about each of these events in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for those emails and posts, and of course, we hope to see you at each one of these events!

EVENT POSTPONED

FEB 27 UPDATE:
The Signing Ceremony scheduled for Monday, Feb 28 has been postponed; a new date will be announced soon to celebrate with Jordan Phillips and James Cockrell.

Jordan committed to play for the Women’s Tennis team at Colorado College, located in Colorado Springs, in the fall.

Meanwhile, James will play for the Mens Tennis team at Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill – a Boston suburb.

Signing Ceremonies are a ‘rite of passage’, if you will, for so many ATA players as they transition from junior tennis to collegiate tennis.

STAR-STUDDED LINEUP SET FOR FEBRUARY 4 EVENT

The Isner Charity Cup will be held in Dallas on February 4th, the Friday night before the ATP 250 Dallas Open kicks off, and it should be an amazing event. Names of the ATP players competing in the exhibition have just been announced. They include John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Bob and Mike Bryan, Sam Querrey, and Tommy Paul. The six ATP players will compete in a team format, each team comprised of three players, competing for the coveted Isner Cup.

This is the first year the Isner Charity Cup will be held. Money raised from the charity event will go to The Isner Family Foundation, an endowed fund created to support Indigent Family Assistance by providing financial support for qualified families to obtain necessities, such as meals, clothing, transportation, lodging, and medical supplies while their children are undergoing care from Children’s Health.

Coach Jack Newman will be attending the event and hopes members of the ATA pack will join him in Dallas on Friday, Feb. 4 at SMU’s Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex. Gates open at 5:30pm for happy hour and beats by DJ Lucy Wrubel. Tennis will begin at 6:30pm.

Click here to purchase Isner Charity Cup tickets.

Austin Tennis Academy is proud to be a sponsor of this inaugural event.

DREAM COMES TRUE FOR ATA COACH

Austin Tennis Academy Coach Shaimaa Elsisi came to the United States more than 19 years ago to play college tennis armed with the hope of one day becoming a permanent resident in this country. Now, thanks to help from Coach Newman and ATA, one of her biggest dreams has finally come true.

“A lot of people in the United States don’t recognize just how lucky they are to live in this country,” said Coach Shaimaa. “Living here is amazing and now I don’t ever have to leave.” Just before the arrival of the new year, Coach Shaimaa received her official Green Card, the immigration document which allows her to live in the U.S. permanently and opens the pathway to citizenship.

“Receiving my green card was one of the happiest days of my life. It means everything,” said Coach Shaimaa. While her home country is Egypt, after originally coming to the U.S. on a student Visa, she’s not been able go back to visit family or leave this country for any reason for the past 13 years; receiving a green card changes that. Coach Shaimaa can now legally travel to dozens of other countries, including Egypt, without fear of not being allowed back into the U.S.

The immigration process is not easy and can take a lot of time. In fact, Coach Shaimaa’s hopes for getting a green card had been dashed several times over the years, but she never gave up and kept believing the right opportunity would present itself one day. “He didn’t hesitate when I asked him to sponsor me in my efforts to obtain a green card,” said Coach Shaimaa. “Coach Newman is always helping. He’s always trying to make sure everyone who works for him is okay.”

“Supporting Coach Shaimaa was an easy yes when she asked.” said Jack Newman, Owner and CEO of Austin Tennis Academy. “She’s a great part of our community. She’s put in the hard work; she’s sacrificed. She demonstrates the right character traits I want our students to see. She has a great attitude and provides wonderful service to her clients and members of the ATA community. It’s only right to pour into her.”

Saying yes meant Newman/ATA provided financial support with providing an immigration attorney and with the U.S. government. “That’s just time and money. I didn’t consider her request a big deal,” said Newman. Coach Shaimaa isn’t the first coach who worked for ATA that Newman sponsored in their quest for a green card. ATA and Newman provided the same kind of support for Estevam Strecker.

Within the tennis industry, ATA is not only seen as one of the best junior academies in the country, but also as a rare and special place. Coach Newman says he’s often asked about how he does things differently at ATA, and his answer reveals one of his strongest beliefs. “It’s critical to take care of the people who make your business successful,” said Newman. “It’s easier to retain good talent than it is to attract new. How we pay, train, and treat our employees is all part of an effort to keep them for as long as we can.”

Coach Newman comes from a family of immigrants; he was the first to be born in the United States. He believes it’s important to recognize and support immigrants, including those within his own staff. “Becoming a permanent resident, and ultimately a U.S. citizen is important to Coach Shaimaa and her family for a lot of different reasons.” said Newman. “The resulting return is going to be off the charts. It’s a win win.” The way Coach Shaimaa sees it, Coach Newman and ATA made a dream come true.

ATA Players Commit To Play College Tennis

One of the most significant events in a junior tennis player’s career is their Signing Ceremony, and there are two ATA seniors we will be celebrating this coming Monday, January 10.

Neha Dania will be signing to play college tennis at the University of Rochester,

and Devan Sabapathy will be heading to NYU for his college tennis career.

We’re proud of the work and dedication these two have put in necessary to realize their dreams of playing collegiate tennis, and we hope you’ll join us for their Signing Ceremony. There will be speeches, lots of laughs, even a few tears shed, and of course, cake.

Join the celebration Monday at 6:30 pm on Court 6 at Austin Tennis Academy.

Here’s The 4-1-1 On Shootout 2021

Shootout 2021, ATA’s annual fundraising event for Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation, kicks off Friday night and will run through Saturday afternoon. We’re thrilled that we are able to hold the entire event in person this year on the grounds at Austin Tennis Academy. Here’s the rundown for Friday and Saturday.

Friday Night’s Player Party
6:00 PM: Cocktails, Hors D’oeuvres and Auction
7:00 PM: Dinner
7:45 PM: Shootout Show

The Players Party is being held in a giant party tent being erected Wednesday in the open ground space adjacent to Court 12. Attendees will park in ATA’s parking lot, follow the sidewalk that goes in front of the pro shop to get to Court 12 and then follow the lights/lit path to the tent. Once inside, you’ll find the bar serving various drinks, including our signature drink for the evening, The Honey Deuce (we snagged this one from the US Open where it’s been the most popular cocktail for the past 15 years), hors d’oeuvres, and tables loaded with auction items for you to check out and bid on.

Dinner will be served at 7 PM and then Coach Jack Newman will kick off the program at 7:45. He’s going to do his best to not only make sure everyone has a great time, but also wrap up everything before too late since many of you will be playing tennis the next morning.

Saturday Tennis
Saturday morning kicks off with breakfast served and warmup on court at 8:00 AM. Matches will begin at 9:00 with eight different teams competing for the coveted Shootout title. Bidding can still be done on the auction items out in the party tent. In fact, that’s where you’ll find Deb Cahill selling those ‘oh so valuable Point Chips’ that players want to make sure they possess on court during their matches; spectators will want to have some ‘Point Chips’ of their own to help spur on their team to victory. Lunch will be ready starting at 11:30. Coach Newman expects the matches to wrap by at least 2 PM when the winning team will be announced.

The Shootout never disappoints! There’s still time if you haven’t purchased your ticket to play or attend Friday night’s party. Click here to get in on all the fun!! For those who can’t attend in person, Friday night’s party will be streamed live on ATA’s YouTube channel. Click here for that livestream link.

Thank You to our Sponsors!
KickStand Communications
Salvation Pizza
Wilson
Coach Kevin Realty
Ron Yates Winery
Spicewood Vineyards

Commendation for ATA College Prep Student Athlete

For the second year in a row, ATA College Prep student Sasha Malysheva is being recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program. She received a commendation for being one of the 50,000 highest-scoring students in the country on the PSAT.

Every year, more than 4.5 million high school juniors take the PSAT which enters them into the National Merit Scholarship program, a national academic competition for high school students to provide financial aid to attend college. Malysheva is one of less than 5{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} of those test takers to receive a commendation. Congratulations!

Get Your Bid In For Shootout 2021 Auction

There are a lot of exciting things happening in Austin coming up in October. One of them is our 21st Annual Shootout raising money for Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation. Another is the final round of qualifying matches for the World Cup between USA and Jamaica.

To kick off festivities for Shootout 2021, we’re launching an early bird auction which happens to be all about one of the hottest tickets in town ~ TEAM USA vs JAMAICA. We’ve got 4 tickets to the match where Team USA competes to stay in the hunt for the World Cup.

This auction item includes 4 tickets to the USA vs JAM match on October 7 at 6:30 pm. Bidding begins tomorrow (Monday, Sept 27) at 6:00 AM and will run through 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 3.

To place a bid, simply click here. Plus, you can get your family and friends to text ‘GIVEAASF’ to 855-202-2100 to get the link to this auction. The highest bidder will be notified automatically. Tickets will be transferred to the winner electronically.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to cheer on Team USA and raise money for AASF.

Deadline Almost Here for Little Mo South Regionals

Friday (August 13) at 11:30 PM is the deadline to get your child registered to play in the Little Mo South Regionals tournament coming up on August 21-23. The South Regionals is open to any USA player (ages 8-12) and will be held at the Arlington Tennis Center. There are already more than 200 players registered to compete.

11:30 PM FRIDAY AUGUST 13 DEADLINE: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Any “Little Mo” player who wins their yellow ball division will receive a special travel grant during the tournament. Travel grants will also be awarded to the 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th place players in each of the yellow ball divisions.

The top four yellow ball players (semifinalists) in each age division from each of the four Regionals will advance to the Nationals, forming a 16 draw size in each age division. If you advance to the semifinal round (top 4) in your age division at the Regionals and you (and your parent/coach) have followed the Code of Conduct, you will receive your Nationals invitation (with a special code needed for registration) by email from the MCB office following the event. While the green dot players will not be able to advance to the Nationals, we might consider them as replacement players if there is an opening in the yellow ball divisions.

Once again this year, Little Mo Nationals will be held at Austin Tennis Academy September 24-27.

Dates Released For 2021 Shootout

The 21st Annual Shootout will be held the fourth weekend in October. All the fun kicks off Friday evening, October 22 with the Player Party. Then things heat up on court when the actual Shootout swings into action bright and early Saturday, October 23.

Each year, Austin Tennis Academy holds the Shootout to raise money for the Austin Athletics Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)3 created to give back to the community. The AASF is dedicated to serving students in the form of grants for travel, training, and academics; its goal is to identify players who have a philanthropic spirit and commit themselves to giving back to the community.

We hope you’ll not only save the date, but also take part in this year’s fundraiser and shootout!

ATA Player Receives 2021 Junior Sportsmanship Award

USTA Texas announced its annual junior tennis award recipients in conjunction with The Texas Slam, a week-long tournament featuring nearly 1,000 competitive junior tennis players from across the state which kicks off tomorrow morning.

Among the winners, ATA’s Mason Vaughan received the Ken McAllister Sportsmanship Award.

Eleven players in total walked away with hardware, as the governing body of Texas tennis honored junior players throughout the state for their tennis prowess, as well as their sportsmanship on and off the court. Awards are presented to outstanding juniors across four age brackets in both boys and girls divisions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no awards ceremony was held this year. Instead, players submitted acceptance speeches online, which can be viewed at www.thetxslam.com.

Congratulations to each of the 2021 Junior Awards Winners listed below.

John McFarlin Award: Lucas Brown, Plano
Mary Lowdon Award: Victoria Zhao, Houston
Maureen Connolly Brinker Award: Katie Garofolo-Ro, Houston
Art Foust Sportsmanship Award: Lucas Brown, Plano
Zina Garrison Sportsmanship Award: Victoria Zhao, Houston
Bob McKinley Sportsmanship Award: Ted Gershon, Austin
Barbara Smith Sportsmanship Award: Nadia Valdez, San Antonio
Paul Christian Sportsmanship Award: Qasym Dar, Houston
Emily Schaefer Sportsmanship Award: Ashlyn Burrows, Richardson
Ken McAllister Sportsmanship Award: Mason Vaughan, Austin
Chuck McKinley Award: Ashlyn Krueger, Lewisville

Former WTA Pro and USTA President Katrina Adams Comes to Austin

Katrina Adams will be at Black Pearl Bookstore on Thursday at 6pm to promote her new book “Own the Arena” — and answer your questions! Today is the deadline to order an advance copy and reserve your spot at her book signing. Click here to purchase .

Katrina has the unique perspective of being a NCAA doubles champion, a touring player, on-air analyst, and the chairman and CEO of US tennis’ highest governing body. She was the first African American to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the first two term Chairman and President of said organization, and the first former player to hold that honor.

If you have ever wondered about the drive it takes to be a successful professional athlete and transitioning to careers in tennis off court, Katrina can answer. Let’s all show her a big Austin welcome!

ATA Alumnus Joins Teaching and Coaching Staff

Liam Leddy, who attended Austin Tennis Academy and ATA College Prep more than 10 years ago, is back, however, this time Leddy takes on the role of an instructor at College Prep. “Liam and my son Josh shared their childhood as close friends in school and in sports,” said Carol Hagar, Head of School. “I have always appreciated Liam’s curiosity, creativity, quick wit, quirkiness, and love of learning, and his pragmatic approach to most topics lends itself to very interesting and entertaining discourse. It is exciting and humbling for him to join his alma mater as a young professional, teacher, and coach and I look forward to our students’ learning with him.”

Along with teaching responsibilities in the fall, Leddy will take on some coaching as well. “There’s nothing better than having someone complete the circle,” said Coach Jack Newman. “Liam started off as a student, went on to be an awesome student at the University of Chicago, has spent some time in the real world, and now is back with us as a teacher and a coach. Nothing better. He knows the culture. He knows what to expect.”

Leddy grew up in the Austin area, and admits he’s excited to be back as a teacher. ”I hope to bring pragmatism, harsh reality, and a lot of dry humor to student-athletes,” said Leddy. “Also knowledge, obviously, or, rather, the tools they need to seek out, vet, and retain knowledge on their own.”

When asked what has stuck with him since his time as a student-athlete at ATA Leddy responded, “I learned a great deal at ATA, but the lessons that have stuck with me the longest are: 1) Not every moment is the right moment to question authority 2) Discomfort is a prerequisite for growth 3) Energy and attention must be focused on what can be controlled, not what cannot be.”

Leddy becomes the sixth student to return to ATA as a coach and/or teacher. Among those alumni: Shane Berber, Tommy Collins, Brandon Davis, AJ Garcia, and Ashley Weinhold. He holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from University of Chicago, a Master’s in Education from Dominican University (the one in Illinois, not the one in California) and a Master’s in Data Science from the Harvard Extension School.

Austin Tennis Academy Makes The List

How cool is that?! ATA makes the cut and is listed as one of the Top 10 Best Tennis Academies in the USA. That declaration comes from ‘MyTennisHQ’ ~ a site created by tennis athletes who are focused on helping people understand and navigate the sport of tennis.

According to the article, Austin Tennis Academy is probably the most famous tennis academy in the state of Texas. It is located in Austin, and it has 14 tennis courts (12 hard and 2 red clay), a large gym, and classrooms. ATA does not have any on-site dorms, which is slightly different from the other large academies. ATA offers different programs depending on your level of commitment.

Thanks ‘MyTennisHQ’ for giving ATA such high accolades!

Texas Slam Is A Go This Year

You might want to start making plans now and booking your hotel rooms. The Texas Slam is coming to Georgetown in June. It is the largest junior tournament in the United States with around 1,000 kids ages 11-18 competing in the annual tournament. The Covid-19 pandemic cancelled the event last year. Dates for this year’s tournament are June 19 – 27.

Are you ready?

ATA College Prep Graduation

Five seniors will receive diplomas this year during Austin Tennis Academy College Prep’s graduation ceremonies.

Sydney Marin, Abigail Gorden, Cole Cedar, Hayden Hobbick, and Nick Smeltzer make up the Class of 2021 at ATACP.

Commencement will be held May 26 at Austin Tennis Academy. Kicking off the evening will be an Art Exhibit and Reception at 6:00 PM, with the graduation ceremony beginning at 6:45 PM. There will be a Dessert Reception immediately following the ceremony.

For those not able to attend in person, click here for the webinar link for livestream at-home viewing. The passcode is fC1mw9. While the livestream opens at 6:30, the actual graduation ceremony will begin at 6:45 PM CDT.

Save The Date For ATA’s End of Year Event

Austin Tennis Academy will host its annual End of Year and Academy Awards event this year on the evening of May 27. The party will take place at ATA under a big top tent located on Courts 3 & 4 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

Dinner will be served beginning at 6:30 PM with the Award Presentation starting at 7:30 PM. For those not able to attend in person, here is the link for livestream home viewin g. The passcode is 27ghnz.

Deadline Extended – Get Registered !

The deadline for next weekend’s UTR tournament being hosted by ATA has been extended till 11:30pm tonight (January 24). We have a great draw next weekend with players at all levels. It’s not too late to enter and get some great competition with 3-4 matches planned.

Click here to play in the $1000 prize money singles tournament

Plus, registration is now open for two more UTR tournaments coming up in February at ATA. Both will be held the last weekend of February: one is a 1-Day Singles and the other 1-Day Doubles – both with prize money.

Click here to register for the singles tournament

Click here to register for the doubles tournament

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