During a recent ATA parent meeting, I observed eager young parents taking in all that they could, and it reminded me of the beginnings of my ATA journey… and little did I know.
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I met Mrs. Mayo in the bleachers of a UT match where her son, Austin, and my son, Josh, were on court together as ball boys. She told me her son was a SuperChamp player at ATA. I did not grow up in USTA Texas, and I had no idea what she meant by that. The next month, Josh played an ATA SuperChamp player at the Texas Open. It was a tough match and Josh beat him. At the time, I had no idea that was an upset...
Dear ATA Family:
My name is Meghan O’Malley. I’m a junior in the ATA College Prep program and a member of ATA Academy. My dad, Mike O’Malley, is a veteran. He was an officer in the United States Navy Reserves, and he was called to active duty in March 2006, where he served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is one of the 2.5 million men and women who have been deployed to fight the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am incredibly proud of him and I feel incredibly fortunate – he returned home safely in June 2007.
Recently, a school project led me to do some research on the casualties...
As parents, we are the great architects and general contractors of our children’s growth and development. We design and build the structures in which they live, and we select the environmental systems that will inspire them to continue their care. We establish times and places to play, to study, to practice and to be.
Regardless of where they attend ‘school’, it is important to build...
While there are over 900 tennis programs in the nations and plenty of options to play, if you are flirting with the idea of being recruited by the DI Ivy’s or the DIII schools of NESCAC, you may want to be clear about your date-ability factors. Before they will pursue you as a top athlete, coaches will want to know:
There is a lot of talent out there. There are a lot of players who want a shot at college tennis. And there are a lot more players than there are spots on the teams.
On a recent trip to the boys 16-18's nationals in Kalamazoo, I visited with several college coaches and listened to what they had to say
CTCL is a group of small liberal arts and science colleges that place emphasis on cooperative learning, personal growth, and community involvement. Much like the mission of ATACP, the goal of these schools is to give students the opportunities and mentorships that will lead to life changing experiences – ones that will reshape the way they see the world.
A QUICK GUIDE
The 2014–15 Common Application opens August 1 and is accepted by over 450 colleges and universities.
The first portions of the application will take you only a couple....
Dear Seniors:
You are about to embark on your last year of high school and quite possibly the last year you will live full time in your parents' home. What an amazing time in your life. Enjoy each moment of it. It is also a very busy time in your life. It is a time of transitioning....
The commitment to elite tennis is a challenging one. It takes a great deal of time, money, and sacrifice along the way. You may be at the beginning of this process or somewhere in the middle, or perhaps you are coming to the end.....
According to Joshua Leibman, author of Peace of Mind,
"There is here no fatalism of endowment."
Recently, I was gifted with a Bonsai tree. I always admired images of these miniature works of art - carefully cultivated and delicately crafted over long periods of time. I used to imagine the patience involved in watching something so precious progress so very slowly and the assiduity necessary in guiding its growth.
I spent days, weeks, months looking at my new charge, wondering in what directions its branches might tend to grow...
Each week, the young women of CP meet at Two Saints Bakery to discuss the feminine aspects of being in relationship with each other and in God. Each meeting is opened with a prayer asking that our hearts and minds be opened to the Truth that is coming to us during this day... and each meeting is closed with reading aloud the prayers that each member has hand written...
I have heard Coach Doug call a player's tennis bag a 'life line'. It should contain everything you may need on the island of the competitive tennis court.
My son, Josh, is meticulous about his tennis bag and its contents. It is organized like a ship captain's data log. Everything has a space and everything is in its place. Now, mind you, while he has always been pretty good about this task, at times, it might have looked like this: 1) some brown thing that resembles the remnants of a banana peel, and a 7 month old...
Water covers about 75% of the earth's surface. Water makes up about 70% of our body mass. Water is essential to life on our planet. Water is one of the most important nutrients in our bodies.
Here are five reasons why WATER is CP's favorite drink.
1) Water = Genius
Dehydration slows down cognitive processing and creativity. Hydration sharpens your thoughts! Drink water!
2) Water = A Clean Body
Do you use more water...
Last December, thousands of high school sophomores and juniors learned the results of the 2013 Preliminary SAT (PSAT) test. The juniors’ test scores will be used to determine whether they qualify as semifinalists for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship, which in turn makes them eligible...
Several of you have asked me about my friend Dr. Books and her Neural Therapy for reversing symptoms of dyslexia and ADHD in children and adults.
So I am passing along Neural Freedom, a recent article from the March/April issue of Austin MD.
Dr. Books provides.....
The week before spring break, I went to Haiti on mission trip. Haiti is located between Cuba and Puerto Rico. It shares the island with the Dominican Republic. Haiti has a history of dictatorship and poor government leaving its people in crisis
On January 10, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake destroyed Haiti killing over 100,000 people. There are now 400,000 children in Haiti without parents. 1 out of every 5 children will die before the age of five. Haiti is one of the worst 3 countries in the world for receiving inadequate daily calories....
When students open their SAT test books in spring 2016, they will encounter an SAT that is more focused and useful than ever before. The full specifications of the exam along with extensive sample items for each section will be available on April 16, 2014. Major changes are described below.
The Basics
The redesigned SAT will first be given in spring 2016.
The SAT will be offered in print and, at selected locations, on computer.
There will be three sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and the Essay.
The length of the SAT will be....
The universe operates through dynamic exchange - giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy throughout the universe. Through our willingness to give what we wish to receive, we keep abundance circulating in our lives.
Put this to work in your life:
1) Bring a gift to whoever you encounter today - a compliment, a prayer, and kind thought, a flower.
2) Gratefully receive all that life has to offer you today. Notice the gifts in nature and in the people and lessons around you.
3) Recognize...
from Carol
Life is like an ever-expanding puzzle. And along the way, we collect the pieces through our impressions. People, experiences, choices and dreams impress and guide us to the places that hold the most precious parts of our growing self. This personal quest is like an adventure and clues to the treasure map are to be deciphered through continuous awareness, observation and inquiry.
A puzzling question that is always on the mind of a student-athlete is "How will I decide where to go to college?" ...This seemingly daunting task can actually be laced...
