SPIN Weekly April 30, 2015

OTA PICTURE OF THE WEEK

OTA HEADLINES

Team Ontario Wins U10 Inter-Provincials Against Quebec

Ontario’s top U10 players had a successful weekend of Inter-Provincial competition against Tennis Québec at the Stade Uniprix in Montréal, April 24-26. The team consisted of the top 8 ranked U10 boys & girls in the province: Matthew Overvelde, Sasha Rozin, Adrian Smith, Stefan Simuenovic, Joshua Kim, Matthias Kask, Chase Stark, Aleksandar Mitric, Victoria Mboko, Cadence Brace, Maria Popova, Madison Lee, Maria Neganov, Scarlett Nicholson, Kayla Cross, Iulia Bucea, Elle Goranskaya and Cenan Liu. Coaches Brandon Alguire and Jon Kudjerski helped lead Team Ontario to an 86-38 point victory over Team Québec. Congratulations on your outstanding performances! 

Tennis Rocks! Festival Team ENTRY DEADLINE – May 10

May 10th is the entry deadline for the “The Junior Team Tennis Championships” at the Tennis Rocks! Festival. The Festival will be held May 23 and 24 at the Rexall Centre in Toronto. The “Championships” will feature two days of friendly competition and is open to junior participants from all OTA and ICTA member clubs. There will be Girls and Boys doubles divisions in U14 and U18 categories. The “Championships” form the centerpiece of the Festival, a celebration of tennis that will include attractions such as the new OTA Smash Cage, racquet demos exhibition matches, entertainment, food and beverage hospitality, prizes and more. Be sure to mark this event in your calendar – you won’t want to miss it – even if you’re not playing! To find out more about the Tennis Rocks! Festival, click here. For clubs wishing to enter teams, get a team sign up form and rules and regulations package here. 40 teams maximum so hurry up and enter your club teams!

TO2015 Para Pan Am Games  - CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

On behalf of the TO2015 Para Pan Am Games the Wheelchair Tennis Team at the University of Toronto Scarborough is offering a once in a lifetime volunteer opportunity to young athletes. We are looking for young, specialized field-of-play volunteers aged 12-18 to be a part of our official Ball Crew. Participants are required to:

• Be fast, active, and athletic, able to move quickly around the court while throwing and catching up to four balls at a time
• Be passionate about sport and willing to learn intensively about the sport of Wheelchair Tennis

Time Commitment

Volunteers must attend up to four training sessions* from now until game-time (May August 2015) Training sessions may include both drill-practices and ‘practice tournaments,’ held at the University of Toronto Scarborough Tennis Club, in order to ensure that volunteers are 100% prepared to fulfill their game. *Note: Training sessions are mandatory. Volunteers are also required to commit to a minimum of 6 shifts over 9 days, which means being fully available from August 7-15.

You Receive…

• A comprehensive Ball Crew training program
• The opportunity complete ‘volunteer hours’ (for high school students)
• An official Para Pan Am Games uniform
• Refreshments and meals
• Free access to public transportation during the Games*
  * Other volunteer travel and accommodation expenses will not be covered
• Invitations and access to special volunteer recognition events
• The chance to witness a high-level of intense, diverse sport and the privilege of watching top-athletes from around the world

For Volunteers 12-16 yrs old:

Youth volunteers who are younger than 16 as of January 1, 2015 must use a separate volunteer portal to register, the link will be provided upon request. Participants must have parental/guardian consent in order to participate.

Day in the life of a youth participant…

• Parent/Guardian can drop off participant in the a designated drop-off/pick-up zone, where they will be signed in by a Supervisor
• Once all participants arrive they will be escorted onto the venue by a Supervisor
• Supervisors will stay with youth participants until the end of their shifts
• Once the shift is complete, participants will be brought back to the drop-off/pick-up zone where they can be signed out by a parent/guardian

Interested parties, please contact Anna Sullivan at annasullivan@rogers.com as soon as possible.

COMING EVENTS 

Bennington Heights Rogers Rookie Tour,  May 8 - 10
Boys and Girls U8, U10, U12, U14 Singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

Caledon U12, U16 Provincial Circuit, May 8 - 10
Boys and Girls U12 and U16 singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

Caledon U14, U18 Provincial Circuit, May 8 - 10

Boys and Girls U14 and U18 Singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

Fitness Institute U14, U18 Transition Tour, May 8 - 10

Boys and Girls U14 and U18 Singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

Martingrove Rogers Rookie Tour,  May 8 - 10
Boys and Girls U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, U18 Singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

NYTA U14, U18 Provincial Circuit, May 8 - 10
Boys and Girls U14 and U18 singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

UTSC U12, U16 Transition Tour, May 8 - 10

Boys and Girls U12 and U16 Singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

White Oaks Future Stars Tour U9, U10, May 8 - 10

Boys and Girls U9 and U10 Singles. Entry deadline: May 3, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

High School Tennis Doubles Tournament Monday May 11 

Location- University of Toronto Scarborough Campus - Entry Fee - $40 per player - Tournament convener - Nabil Tadros For tournament details and to enter - email:  uoftcoach@gmail.com

OTA CLASSIFIEDS

Cuba Adult / Junior Tennis Camp All Levels of Play

CAN World Sports by Amr Shagara " Head tennis pro at Joshua Creek Tennis Club in Oakville" is Organizing the 2nd tennis camp getaway to Cuba, at the beautiful Meliá Cayo Santa Maria Resort (5 tennis courts). The beaches & weather are phenomenal, tennis is great. The first trip went with great success in January 2015. Daily Camp 9:30 to 11:30: drills, strategy, skill development, Technical correction.11:30 am to 12:00: Fitness drills 12:00 to 4:00 : Lunch break, ocean fun. 4:00 to 5:30: Match play, game strategy, singles & doubles.Saturday: Off day at. leisure. A great way to have a fun vacation and get ready for the spring / summer season ahead of everyone. CAN World Offer other destinations too throughout the year. 

Check our website http://canworldtravel.com/cuba-tennis-trip/

email-call amr@canworldtravel.com or 416.732.3272

SPIN Weekly April 10th, 2015

OTA PICTURE OF THE WEEK

U12 Boys doubles champions Marko Stakusic and Ashton Cross

2015 U16 and U12 Indoor Rogers Junior Nationals Results

The Under 16 and Under 12 Indoor Rogers Junior Nationals were recently held in Montreal and Calgary respectively. The tournament featured some of Ontario’s, and Canada’s, top players. The results were as follows: 

U16

Girls Champion: Leylah Annie Fernandez
Girls Finalist: Maria Tanasescu

Boys Champion: Victor Krustev
Boys Finalist: Alexis Galarneau

U12

Girls Champion: Daria Tomashevskaya
Girls Finalist: Mélodie Collard

Boys Champion: Ashton Cross
Boys Finalist: Marko Stakusic

The U14s and U18s began on April 5 in West Vancouver and Markham, (Mayfair East and Parkway) respectively. Go out and see some of Canada’s best young players in action. Team Ontario leads the way with over 60 competitors! Go Ontario! For complete draws and results, click here.

OTA HEADLINES

OTA AGM April 11 at the Rexall Centre

The OTA AGM is set for April 11 at the Rexall Centre in Toronto. Representatives from all member clubs have been invited and we expect to have about 120 people on hand to help steer the OTA’s direction for the coming year. As well as the usual important business, this year we will be reporting on how some of the new initiatives from last year, such as Raise the Net, Capital Kids, the National Bank Roadshow and our Digital Strategy plan have performed, and how we foresee them growing in the future. We will be hi-lighting how the “Club Strong” component of Raise the Net can help clubs run their club even more effectively.

Tennis Rocks! Festival May 23rd and 24th at the Rexall Centre

We are pleased to announce the second annual Tennis Rocks! Festival will take place May 23rd and 24th at the Rexall Centre. The event will again be co-hosted by the OTA and the Inter County Tennis Association. After a successful launch last year, we hope to make this year’s festival bigger and better. The centerpiece of Tennis Rocks! is the “Junior Team Tennis Championships”. As well as a different date, the event will have some format changes from last year designed to increase participation and ramp up the “fun factor”. This year, the junior tournament will be divided into two “one day” events and will include separate girls and boys divisions. Saturday the 23rd will see U14 and U18 “rec” teams play in a no elimination full day competition. Sunday the 24th will include U14 and U18 Open competition and a new U10 boys and girls combined “Kids Tennis” event, featuring modified courts and/or balls and equipment. The event will again be a non-elimination competition. The festival will also include a host of other activities on Centre court and around the grounds, including skill games, the Pizzaville smash cage, entertainment, prizes, sponsor involvement, hospitality and more.  Make sure your club fields a team or two - and be sure to invite all your members to come out and enjoy. Click here for a Tennis Rocks! Festival overview. Click here for a Junior Team Tennis Champions info package and signup sheet. The deadline to sign up is May 10th.

New Partner LoveCourts

The OTA would like to welcome LoveCourts as a new partner. LoveCourts has finally developed an app that manages your tennis life! LoveCourts works on your iPhone and Android allowing you to track your match results and stats from within a single worldwide tennis community. Because it's a community, you'll be able to find new tennis partners matching your skill level that play on the same courts you play on. In fact, LoveCourts is so revolutionary, that it uses a customized LoveSports Engine to gather player results and create virtual tennis leagues that span everything from individual courts, to cities, to entire nations. To learn more about this great new app visit www.lovecourts.com.

College Scholarship?

The OTA would like to welcome ImRecruitable as its new US College Tennis Recruiting Partner. ImRecruitable was created to help student-athletes and their families successfully navigate the college sports recruiting process. Seeking a college scholarship can be a difficult, competitive and confusing process. ImRecruitable’s team of former college athletes, coaches and scouts, together with our network of college coaches can provide young players with the guidance and tools needed to turn dreams into reality. The OTA is pleased to be partnering with ImRecruitable to offer this valuable service to our membership. To learn more about this great new opportunity visit www.imrecruitable.com.

OTA to Launch New Website at AGM April 11

The OTA is excited to announce the launch of its redesigned website. The site will be debuted at the OTA AGM on April 11 at the Rexall Centre. Its user-friendly design will enhance the on-line experience of tennis enthusiasts across Ontario, whether they are recreational, social or competitive players… or just fans of the game. It is visually stunning and contains many new and exciting features as well as easy-to-use navigation tools. New features will include bold imaging, updated social media conduits, enhanced video and web streaming capabilities, interactive blogs and surveys, and much more. Be sure to check us out atwww.tennisontario.com on April 11 and let us know what you think!



James Bentley Passes Away at 83

Jim fought off many match points, but finally succumbed, losing a hard fought battle, points in the fifth.

After a very successful amateur tennis career where he played in national championships and participated in Canada’s 1953 Davis Cup team, Jim started his professional tennis and squash career in 1960 at the Toronto Cricket Club. He proceeded to put the Cricket Club on the map for junior tennis and squash with the development of the highly respected Tennis Excellence Development (TED) program and with the success in international competition of his junior squash team, better known as “Bentley Bombers”. In 1971, Jim left the Cricket Club to c-found the Cambridge Club, one of Toronto’s most prestigious downtown men’s fitness clubs. His legacy will always be remembered through the annual Cambridge Jim Bentley Cup, honouring top-level squash doubles competition. In his retirement years since 1991, Jim enjoyed playing golf, tennis, and squash but sadly had to give them up in recent years. Jim still loved to mentor his family and friends whenever he was asked, and often could be found lunching and socializing at the Cricket Club. Jim loved visiting his sons at their cottages, watching them fish, reading and relaxing. 

Jim Boyce, Executive Director of the Ontario Tennis Association and a former national champion, was a student under Mr.Bentley's at the Toronto Cricket Club in the mid 60's recently stated "He was one of my first professional coaches when I was part of team ontario when I was 15." Jim will be missed by his family, friends and the larger tennis community. 

Merchant of Tennis Brings It All Year

Like you, at the Merchant of Tennis, we’re tennis fanatics. Tennis isn’t a seasonal sport, nor is it just a hobby. It’s a year-round commitment and passion that’s constantly evolving. Check out what you can expect from the Merchant of Tennis throughout the 2015 season: www.merchantoftennisexperts.wordpress.com.

OTA/RAPTOR TICKET DEAL!!!

The OTA has teamed up with MLSE to offer OTA members some great discounts on Toronto Raptor home games for the rest of the season! Receive discounted ticket pricing on all remaining Raptors home games while supplies last. Click here for more details and to order!

COMING EVENTS 

ACE U14 Provincial Circuit (3 star) & Future Stars U10 April 17th-19th
Boys and Girls U10 and U14 Singles. Entry deadline: April 12th, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

ACE U18 Provincial Circuit (3 star plus) April 17th-19th
Boys and Girls U18 singles. Entry deadline: April 12th, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

Advantage Tennis @ Veneto U12, U16 Red Clay Provincial Circuit April 17th-19th

Boys and Girls U12 and U16 Singles. Entry deadline: April 12th, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

OTA CLASSIFIEDS

Cuba Adult / Junior Tennis Camp All Levels of Play

CAN World Sports by Amr Shagara " Head tennis pro at Joshua Creek Tennis Club in Oakville" is Organizing the 2nd tennis camp getaway to Cuba, at the beautiful Meliá Cayo Santa Maria Resort (5 tennis courts). The beaches & weather are phenomenal, tennis is great. The first trip went with great success in January 2015. Daily Camp 9:30 to 11:30: drills, strategy, skill development, Technical correction.11:30 am to 12:00: Fitness drills 12:00 to 4:00 : Lunch break, ocean fun. 4:00 to 5:30: Match play, game strategy, singles & doubles.Saturday: Off day at. leisure. A great way to have a fun vacation and get ready for the spring / summer season ahead of everyone. CAN World Offer other destinations too throughout the year. 

Check our website http://canworldtravel.com/cuba-tennis-trip/

email-call amr@canworldtravel.com or 416.732.3272

SPIN Weekly April 3rd, 2015

OTA PICTURE OF THE WEEK

U12 Junior Indoor Nationals Underway in Calgary

Junior Indoor Nationals

The Junior Indoor Nationals began this week with the U12s in Calgary and the U16s in Montreal. The U14s and U18s commence on April 5 in West Vancouver and Markham, (Mayfair East and Parkway) respectively. Go out and see some of Canada’s best young players in action. Team Ontario leads the way with over 60 competitors! Go Ontario! For complete draws and results, click here.

OTA HEADLINES

New Partner LoveCourts

The OTA would like to welcome LoveCourts as a new partner. LoveCourts has finally developed an app that manages your tennis life! LoveCourts works on your iPhone and Android allowing you to track your match results and stats from within a single worldwide tennis community. Because it's a community, you'll be able to find new tennis partners matching your skill level that play on the same courts you play on. In fact, LoveCourts is so revolutionary, that it uses a customized LoveSports Engine to gather player results and create virtual tennis leagues that span everything from individual courts, to cities, to entire nations. To learn more about this great new app visit www.lovecourts.com.

College Scholarship?

The OTA would like to welcome ImRecruitable as its new US College Tennis Recruiting Partner. ImRecruitable was created to help student-athletes and their families successfully navigate the college sports recruiting process. Seeking a college scholarship can be a difficult, competitive and confusing process. ImRecruitable’s team of former college athletes, coaches and scouts, together with our network of college coaches can provide young players with the guidance and tools needed to turn dreams into reality. The OTA is pleased to be partnering with ImRecruitable to offer this valuable service to our membership. To learn more about this great new opportunity visit www.imrecruitable.com.

OTA to Launch New Website at AGM April 11
The OTA is excited to announce the launch of its redesigned website. The site will be debuted at the OTA AGM on April 11 at the Rexall Centre. Its user-friendly design will enhance the on-line experience of tennis enthusiasts across Ontario, whether they are recreational, social or competitive players… or just fans of the game. It is visually stunning and contains many new and exciting features as well as easy-to-use navigation tools. New features will include bold imaging, updated social media conduits, enhanced video and web streaming capabilities, interactive blogs and surveys, and much more. Be sure to check us out atwww.tennisontario.com on April 11 and let us know what you think!

The Sunshine Project 2015

This Spring the OTA in partnership with Wilmington Tennis and Pine Point Tennis Club are thrilled to re-launch the The Sunshine Project in the Jane and Finch and Rexdale neighbourhoods. The purpose of this project is to increase the use of public tennis courts and overcome barriers to our sport for low-income families. In 2014 the project reached 278 kids out of our target of 300 between the ages of 6 - 12. This year the team aspires to reach the maximum number of participants.

In 2015 the project will operate at Beaumonde Heights Park, Hullmar Park, Stanley Park and Chalkfarm Park. Program fees are based on a sliding scale

modeled after Toronto’s Welcome Policy, whereby mid and high income parents are asked to pay a larger portion of the projects per-child cost.

The project strives to provide top-notch quality lessons that are fun and educational, in hopes that even after the project is finished the families will continue playing at their local parks. 

You will be able to view coaches and their young tennis players at the parks beginningApril 13th, 2015. For more information, please visit www.sunshinetennisproject.com.

Merchant of Tennis Brings It All Year

Like you, at the Merchant of Tennis, we’re tennis fanatics. Tennis isn’t a seasonal sport, nor is it just a hobby. It’s a year-round commitment and passion that’s constantly evolving. Check out what you can expect from the Merchant of Tennis throughout the 2015 season: www.merchantoftennisexperts.wordpress.com.

$50 Daytime Membership at Thornhill Park Tennis Club!

Thornhill Park Tennis Club is offering a special weekday daytime $50 membership for the remainder of the indoor season: February through April. This membership allows you to book courts from 7 am – 6 pm weekdays. To take advantage of this special offer, contact the Indoor Facility Manager, Adam Seigel by Telephone at 905 731 5551 or by email at adam@thornhillparktennisclub.ca. 

OTA/RAPTOR TICKET DEAL!!!

The OTA has teamed up with MLSE to offer OTA members some great discounts on Toronto Raptor home games for the rest of the season! Receive discounted ticket pricing on all remaining Raptors home games while supplies last. Click here for more details and to order!

COMING EVENTS 

ACE Future Stars April 10th-12th

Boys and Girls U9 Singles. Entry deadline: April 5th, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

White Oaks Transition Tour April 10th-12th

Boys and Girls U14 Singles. Entry deadline: April 5th, 2015. For more info or to enter click here.

Coming soon from TennisAccess.com

Look out for a new Tournament of Champions summer season ending event! Your club tournament could be your passport to being included in the revival of this popular event!

OTA CLASSIFIEDS

Cuba Adult / Junior Tennis Camp All Levels of Play

CAN World Sports by Amr Shagara " Head tennis pro at Joshua Creek Tennis Club in Oakville" is Organizing the 2nd tennis camp getaway to Cuba, at the beautiful Meliá Cayo Santa Maria Resort (5 tennis courts). The beaches & weather are phenomenal, tennis is great. The first trip went with great success in January 2015. Daily Camp 9:30 to 11:30: drills, strategy, skill development, Technical correction.11:30 am to 12:00: Fitness drills 12:00 to 4:00 : Lunch break, ocean fun. 4:00 to 5:30: Match play, game strategy, singles & doubles.Saturday: Off day at. leisure. A great way to have a fun vacation and get ready for the spring / summer season ahead of everyone. CAN World Offer other destinations too throughout the year. 

Check our website http://canworldtravel.com/cuba-tennis-trip/

email-call amr@canworldtravel.com or 416.732.3272