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Posts on Facebook are a great way to review our activities and accomplishments from 2009 to the present.
2017
2017
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3 Successful Summer USTA 1-Day Tournaments
On June 29, 2017 A's & Aces hosted 52 young players in the Crescent City Open, the first of our three summer USTA sanctioned tournaments held at Joe Brown Park. A's & Aces student-athletes continued to gain experience daily in their camps, and had additional opportunities to test their growth in tournaments held on July 12 and on July 29.
Our summer tournaments provide rallying beginners with a first tournament opportunity, and intermediate-level players can earn ranking points and gain valuable experience. Players meet USTA members from all over the Metro area, as well as some from the Northshore and Mississippi Gulf Coast. The one-day Youth Progression Pathway tournaments feature level 5 (10s Orange and Green Ball) with ranking points, with level 6, non-ranking 8s and 12s divisions. Chase's ReturnTheServe is a Big Hit
On July 14th, about 80 A's & Aces summer campers together with their coaches and volunteers celebrated the annual 'Return The Serve' event sponsored by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Chase). As part of its commitment to the communities in which they serve, Chase provides $100,000 across ten key markets to local youth tennis and education programs. A’s & Aces is a beneficiary of this donation, and as such, received a $10,000 grant for our youth to have opportunities to learn and grow from the sport. Chase promotes the platform on their social media #ReturnTheServe. Click here to see more photos, and here for the NOLA.com article and photos.
4 Summer Camps Teach 7 Weeks of "A's" and "Aces"
In partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC), A's & Aces provided 7-week Literacy and Tennis camps at Dillard University, Atkinson-Stern Tennis Center, and Joe Brown Park. In addition, we also hosted a Tournament Training Camp at the University of New Orleans throughout June and July. In total, over 140 campers ages 7-16 learned on the courts and in the classrooms. For instance, all campers drafted, edited, refined, and submitted compositions to the USTA NJTL Essay Contest. In each of the last several years, a camper has won a trip to New York or Winston-Salem to attend an ATP professional tennis tournament. THIS YEAR WAS NO EXCEPTION as William Bostick's essay won a trip for him and his mom to the August 2017 Winston-Salem Open men's professional tennis tournament played at Wake Forest University.
NORDC campers participate in several local field trips, swimming, and special activities, and many compete in the three A's & Aces-hosted USTA sanctioned Youth Progression Pathway tournaments with 8s, 10s, and 12s divisions at Joe Brown Park this summer. Early in June, the Camp at UNO welcomed USTA Player Development Coach, Johnny Parkes. He worked individually with several of our players, and helped coaches and volunteers, including A's & Aces' Head Coach A.J. Varnado, Caitlin Casey, Alan Green, Xavier University Head Coach, and Naz Karagoz (Tulane's #1 Women's player), whose father (the Turkish FED Cup Captain) also visited the camp. 2017 NOLA Spring Junior Grand Prix
A's & Aces hosted its first tournament of 2017 on April 22-23 at the NORDC Joe Brown Park Tennis Center. Over 85 players filled the 8&U-16&U draws, and nearly one-third being regular A's & Aces participants gaining valuable experience, many earning ranking points. All USTA tournaments hosted by A's & Aces are made possible through the long-standing partnership with NORDC. 2017 Zurich Classic Community Impact Award
Presented to A's & Aces' President Zurich Insurance honored two community leaders on Sunday for their work to improve the lives of children in New Orleans. Dr. Anna Monhartova, A's & Aces co-founder, and Chuck Roth, Executive Director of Boys Hope Girls Hope New Orleans, were this year's recipients of the Zurich Classic Community Impact Award. The awards were presented on Sunday April 30 at the packed auditorium of the Roosevelt Hotel immediately following a presentation by former NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg.
Click here to watch Zurich's 3-min video describing A's & Aces and highlighting our scholar-athlete Chris Brown. |
L-R, Johnny Parkes (Nat'l Mgr, USTA Player ID & Development),
A.J. Varnado (A's & Aces' Head Coach),
Alaaddin Karagoz, (Turkish FED Cup Captain)
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November Gala is a "Smashing Success"
Our annual fundraiser ("A Simply Smashing Night") was hosted by Frances & Calvin Fayard at their beautiful St. Charles Ave "Wedding Cake" home on November 17. About 200 attendees bid on a large variety of auction items while enjoying great food, wine, and friends.
Honored guest, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, recognized A's & Aces kids who had won special Awards: the 2016 10 & U Boy's and Girls State Claycourt Singles Champions, 2016 Metro Middle School Team Champions, 2016 Arthur Ashe Essay Contest Louisiana Best Essay Winner, and USTA National Student-Athlete Competition winners in both Boys Elementary School and Boys Middle School divisions. 2016
A's & Aces Selected NJTL Chapter of the Year A's & Aces was awarded the National Junior Tennis & Learning "Chapter of the Year" for 2016 by the Louisiana Tennis Association at the Annual Meeting in December, for the second year in a row. TrueSport Video Highlights A's & Aces Partnership
TrueSport, a grassroots movement affiliated with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, partners with A's & Aces to promote the positive experiences that youth sport can bring to help young athletes build the life skills and core values for success on and off the court.
In 2016, two multi-medal Olympians visited New Orleans as TrueSport Ambassadors to film a video highlighting the partnership and our student-athletes: after-school program at Dillard University and our Atkinson-Stern summer camp. TrueSport's motto is "We Value Champions. We Champion Values." Click here to view the video. A's & Aces' 7 yr old Wins La. 2016 Ashe Essay Contest
The Arthur Ashe Essay Contest is held annually by the USTA Foundation, on the national and state levels. In 2016, the award for 1st place in Louisiana was earned by our very own Saige LaCour, age 7, of Harvey, LA. Saige was awarded a trip for herself and her mom to attend an award ceremony at the Winston-Salem Open, an ATP pro tournament held at the Wake Forest Tennis Center in North Carolina! The August 20-27 event was the final tournament in the nine-tournament series leading up the US Open.
A's & Aces Excellence Team Travels to D.C. Area
The A's & Aces 10 & Under Excellence Team was one of eleven teams chosen nationwide to compete in the 2016 NJTL Excellence Teams Cup, hosted by the USTA Foundation in College Park, Maryland, on July 21-24. In addition to the competition, our players attended the Citi Open with draws of top ATP and WTA players, participated in a clinic with famed coach Nick Bollettieri, interacted with other young tennis players from around the country, and toured famous monuments of Washington, D.C. Our Excellence Team placed 3rd overall! View more photos of their experience here. |
Saige and pro, Donald Young
Teams visit Lincoln Memorial
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A's & Aces Benefits from Chase Returning the Serve
Many thanks to JP Morgan Chase and the USTA Foundation for helping us provide a day of tennis and fitness for nearly 100 of our summer campers on July 15th. This event was part of a national Return the Serve program that selected 10 NJTL chapter organizations across the country, and made $10K donations to each again this year. View more event photos here. "Prevent Obesity" Highlights Camp Cooking Classes
A's & Aces was featured in PreventObesity.net in an article titled, Chopping and Serving Their Way to a Healthier Lifestyle. A's & Aces added cooking skills to the curriculum during our 2015 summer camps with Cooking up Healthy Options and Portions (CHOP), a program sponsored by Ochsner Hospital. 2013 Summer Literacy & Tennis Camps Host 148 Campers Three simultaneous 7-week, all-day, free breakfast and lunch, Literacy & Tennis Camps were held at Dillard University, Pontchartrain Park/SUNO, and Atkinson Stern Tennis Center. View Photos |
"Chef Ace" Freya Hoffman-Terry
Playing "Skeleton" at Dillard
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A's & Aces 2013 Kids' Cup The Inaugural A's & Aces Kids' Cup, held on May 4th at Pontchartrain Park, was a huge success! Over 80 A's & Aces children celebrated their accomplishments. View photos |
Kids Cup
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2012 Super Service Challenge: the Brees Dream Foundation
Special thanks to our Super Service Challenge teams! The Xavier Women's Tennis Team helped us win $2,000 and the Positive Reactions team won $5,000! View Positive Reactions' Day of Service VIDEO View the XULA Super Service Challenge Day |
Xavier Tennis Team Super Service Challenge
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A's & Aces Meets Monica Seles Laureus comprises the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards, which collectively harness the power of sport to promote social change (and celebrate sporting excellence). A partnership between Laureus and Coach Across America launched in New Orleans with a special event featuring former #1 World-Ranked Monica Seles. This initiative trains and places coaches in New Orleans after-school sports programs to put into action much needed work to combat youth crime. Recent research has suggested that budget cuts in after-school sports programs have left young Americans three times more at risk of getting involved in unlawful activities. More. |
Monica Seles teamed with our "Coach J" for doubles
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