Special Programs

special proGrams

A's & Aces Excellence Team

In the fall of 2014, A's & Aces launched a tournament Dream Team with 40 student-athletes who trained to compete and achieved a USTA tournament level play. The Dream Team was sponsored by DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, and Team players practiced several times each week via after-school and weekend programs.

In 2014 A's & Aces also began hosting entry-level, USTA sanctioned tournaments with ranking points, and, by 2015, more than 20 A’s & Aces players had earned state rankings in Louisiana. A's & Aces established Saturday Tournament Training Clinics and dedicated one of our Summer Camp sites to players training year-round for tournament competition to further our goal of developing high-performance players.

Now called the A’s & Aces “Excellence Team”, during the 2015-16 academic year our Orange and Green/Yellow Ball players who have the necessary desire and dedication will have the opportunity to apply for Team membership. The Team will train regularly after-school and on Saturdays throughout the academic year, and during summer camp. Those players who demonstrate sportsmanship, academic determination, athletic potential, and commitment to tournament competition with parental support, are eligible to apply to be a member of the Team. (APPLICATION FORM.) Team members are provided with our best coaching and resources, regardless of financial ability.

Excellence Team members learn the importance of hard work, community service, grit and graciousness, and will have opportunities to earn scholarships and learn tennis-related job skills. Regular, consistent attendance is required to maintain a place on the Team.

USTA NJTL National Student Athlete Competition

A’s & Aces participants are eligible to participate in this national contest supported by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and compete for scholarships. Points are based on school report cards (Middle and High School students only), essays, tournament results and USTA Jr. Team Tennis participation. Mixing academic achievement and tennis participation as barometers of performance, the USTA Foundation and NJTL carries out the NSAC each year.

High School student-athletes compete for nearly $80,000 in college scholarships. At the elementary and middle school levels, children compete for NJTL National Student-Athlete Competition plaques.

In the academic year of 2013-2014, six A's & Aces participants placed top ten in this national contest. Four A's & Aces boys finished 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 9th nationally in the Boys Elementary School division, while one our girls finished 2nd in the Girls Elementary School Division.

As the 2014-15 contest nears the deadline, eleven A's & Aces participants are currently ranked in the top 10 of the national competition, including at least two in each of the four age/gender categories - including the #1 ranked boy in the 10 & under division, #2 ranked in the Boys Middle School division, and two ranked #3 (one in Boys Middle School and one in Girls Middle School divisions) - all positioned to win national awards! The contest ends on August 10, 2015. Click here to view the current NSAC standings.

USTA Arthur Ashe Essay Contest

Arthur Ashe was an American hero fighting battles both on and off the court. He broke barriers in the tennis world, becoming a three time grand slam champion, and the first African American male to win a grand slam tournament. Off the court, he was a social activist taking on issues like racial prejudice, AIDS, apartheid, and education. One of his many legacies includes the National Junior Tennis and Learning ("NJTL"), a network of youth serving organizations that provides tennis and education for all. His wish was for NJTL to be a resource for kids to develop skills for leadership and academic excellence. As a participant at one of over 600 NJTL chapters across the country, A's & Aces student-athletes are able to enter the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest every year.

Four years in a row (2011-14), A's & Aces participants won trips in the USTA's National Arthur Ashe Essay Contest for "Best in Louisiana".

From a participant's essay in answer to the question, "If Arthur Ashe were alive today, what do you think would give him hope?"

He would hope that all the children and adults would act like family and have equal rights and respect each other. He would like A's & Aces because children of all races would come together and learn to play tennis. He will have hope that [people] will not be judged by our skin color but by the content of their character and action.

A’s & Aces Book Distributions

Thanks to First Book and First Book Greater New Orleans, regular book distributions are part of our programming. Children receive age-appropriate books to take home to build their home libraries.

A's & Aces College Experience Field Trips

Each semester, A's & Aces conducts field trips to Tulane University so that our student-athletes can experience a college environment. Tulane students chaperon children around the campus, visiting the athletic complex, dorms, classrooms, and other exciting places on the beautiful uptown campus of the University.

A's & Aces Service Learning Projects

A’s & Aces scholars participate in various service projects, including writing thank you cards to our veterans, picking up trash at Dillard University, or organizing a Lemonade Day for A’s & Aces.

Teaching empathy and expressions of gratitude to our scholars is part of our elementary and middle school curricula.

Middle School Tennis Teams

Since the spring of 2012, A’ & Aces has managed and coached the Edward Hynes Charter School middle school tennis team. Competition includes dual matches against other school teams in the New Orleans area and culminates with the Metro League Championship.

The 2015 spring season will start in February.
Schedule: TBD

St. Philip Neri vs. Hynes - Middle School dual match

Teaching Job Skills

Junior Counselor in Training Program (JCIT)

The A’s & Aces Junior Counselor-in-Training (JCIT) program is intended to prepare mature Literacy & Tennis Summer Camp graduates ages 14 or 15 for the leadership and responsibility of being a Counselor-in-Training (CIT). The CIT program is designed to provide youth with an opportunity to develop leadership and management skills, learn teaching and coaching techniques, and improve their athletic skills as well as academics.

The JCIT program requires familiarity with the normal activities that participants engage in, and thus requires at least one summer of prior attendance at an A’s & Aces Literacy & Tennis Summer Camp as a participant (or similar experience) prior to becoming a JCIT.

Because of our unique nature as a sport-specialty camp within the framework of a traditional camp, our counselors need to have skills in two distinct areas: camp duties and tennis coaching. The JCIT program was established to teach counselor skills, while also providing an opportunity for participants to continue developing their own tennis skills and prepare for high school tennis and USTA competition.

Applications to this program will be available in January 2016.

Counselor in Training Program (CIT)

After graduating from our JCIT, participants are eligible to apply for our CIT program. The CIT program is designed to provide youth with an opportunity to develop leadership skills, discover and build life skills, and improve their athletic and coaching skills.

This is a paid position which comes with several responsibilities:
·      CITs attend the all-staff orientation prior to the camp.
·      Meet with his/her supervisor on a regular basis as part of the counselor in training mentorship.
·      Participate in all camp activities.
·      Organize and lead one camp community service activity.
·      Organize and run one special activity.
·      Help plan, set-up, and clean-up classrooms and/or tennis courts.
·      Assist in activities, field trips, and special events.

Applications to this program will be available in January 2016.

Equipment Distributions

Thanks to Rob Provence, proprietor of Second Serve Tennis Center, Brett Schwartz, Tennis Director, New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, and several individual donors, A’s & Aces was able to distribute many new and gently used rackets, pairs of tennis shoes, t-shirts and skirts to our participants in 2014.

Future Programs

As capacity grows, A’s & Aces plans to develop further job training opportunities, including racket repair (stringing, re-gripping, etc.), tournament administration, and tennis club/pro shop management internships.