does anyone knows who selects the kids to USTA High Performance Carson and Florida..I see a lot of posturing going on at the Carson.. I know a few of the kids who gets to go there and some of them really do not deserve to be there.. these kids get special treatment from the USTA who gives them some coaches,free practice(facilities,balls,ect.),wild cards to some big tournaments,and(I heard,not for sure,)in some cases, plane fare and accommodations to tournaments and outings.. these are all paid for by USTA and that money comes from--WHERE? ... members... so why do only a selected few get so much benefits as where every body else has to pay their own ways.. every year,I see the cost of entry fees keep going up.. what is upsetting is that I see these elite kids who gets the free ride are still losing in tournaments...some of them are not even ranked top 5 in their sections(SoCal) what do they have to do to return all these freebies ? are they under a contract to play under USTA if they turn pro and make it big some day?
USTA High Performance Carson and Florida.
- Thread starter SoCal10s
- Start date
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tenniscrazed
Guest
I think it is more likely those that are considered "economically challenged" as opposed to athletically gifted.
With respect to the rankings etc. Tennis is a repetitive sport influenced to an extent by size until the age of 15 ish (boys). Therefore those that are considered top of their birth year are likely to be the result of A) size that is exponentially larger than their peers and or B) have struck more balls than their peers.
This clearly changes as they all get older, which they all must. Economically challenged will yield to those with gifted skills no matter whose coaching them.
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I don't see that... there's few kids there who aren't "economically challenged"..
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tenniscrazed
Guest
I will take your view as I have no direct knowledge.
If that is the case, then they are just filling the place with bodies. Carson in particular, I would think is a ghost town. I know that area, and if my memory serves me correctly, basketball, baseball, soccer, and football would be the predominant junior sports. In light of that the USTA has to fill it with bodies.
Emmett Egger is/was one of the kids. He's definitely not "economically challenged".
The selections of the kids has been debated many times. Most people would agree that it's silly to have the USTA bank on so few kids. Used to be there were 8 boys and 8 girls in the Florida facility. Even though they're not out to make an instant profit (like the big acadamies), it still has to be in the $30K per kid range.
There are likely dozens, or hundreds of players that will end up better - some of whom got that way 'on the cheap'.
I think they'd be better suited to having a high performance facility in every section and rotate in quality players from those sections for more short-term training.
The selections of the kids has been debated many times. Most people would agree that it's silly to have the USTA bank on so few kids. Used to be there were 8 boys and 8 girls in the Florida facility. Even though they're not out to make an instant profit (like the big acadamies), it still has to be in the $30K per kid range.
There are likely dozens, or hundreds of players that will end up better - some of whom got that way 'on the cheap'.
I think they'd be better suited to having a high performance facility in every section and rotate in quality players from those sections for more short-term training.
The official website has printable application forms. Pretty steep criteria on those forms (see page 6):
http://www.usta.com/~/media/USTA/Do...ining Program Application Form 092408 v2.ashx
tennismom42
Semi-Pro
Then are they ethnic? I've noticed that the USTA tries to groom future champions from the ethnic minorities.
They selected many of the top players in the boys 12s and 14s. If they happened to be ethnic, so be it. Again, Emmett Egger - not "ethnic". Deiton Baughmann (formerly at Carson) - hardly "ethnic".
This is the 2nd thread where you've brought up ethnicity. Do you have some underlying issues, mom?
This is the 2nd thread where you've brought up ethnicity. Do you have some underlying issues, mom?
Interesting timing on this thread:
The USTA has turned to a former top 10 player in its elite player development efforts.
The White Plains, N.Y.-based Tennis Association announced today that Kathy Rinaldi and Andres Pedroso have been hired as USTA Player Development National Coaches. Pedroso and Rinaldi will work at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., and will report to Jay Berger and Ola Malmqvist, Heads of Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Player Development. Rinaldi started December 1, while Pedroso will join the coaching staff January 5.
"We’re delighted to have Andres and Kathy join our team," said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, Elite Player Development. "In addition to being an outstanding player herself, Kathy has worked with some of the top players in the country through her work with the U.S. Fed Cup team. Andres has experience working with top young talent. We know he has a lot to contribute to our program as well."
Rinaldi, 41, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world and is a former Top 10 player in both singles and doubles. She won three singles titles and two doubles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA tour. Rinaldi served as coach of the U.S. Fed Cup team under Captain Zina Garrison in 2006 and 2008, and has served as the Touring Pro at the Breakers of Palm Beach, Fla., for 10 years. Rinaldi had an illustrious junior career as well, winning eight USTA national junior titles as well as the Girls’ 18s title at the Orange Bowl International Junior Championships in 1981 at age 14.
Pedroso, 29, of Coconut Grove, Fla., entered the coaching ranks in 2006 after six years on the pro tour and an outstanding college career at Duke. He was a teaching pro at the Biltmore Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla., before serving as the personal coach to top American junior Rhyne Williams, who reached No. 10 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and won a USTA Futures in Pittsburgh at the age of 16 (the youngest player ever to win a USTA Pro Circuit men’s event) under Pedroso’s tutelage. As a pro, Pedroso was ranked as high as No. 271 in the world. He was a two-time All-American at Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to four consecutive ACC Championships.
The new USTA Player Development unit has been created to identify and develop the next generation of American champions by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need to reach their maximum potential.
The USTA has turned to a former top 10 player in its elite player development efforts.
The White Plains, N.Y.-based Tennis Association announced today that Kathy Rinaldi and Andres Pedroso have been hired as USTA Player Development National Coaches. Pedroso and Rinaldi will work at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., and will report to Jay Berger and Ola Malmqvist, Heads of Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Player Development. Rinaldi started December 1, while Pedroso will join the coaching staff January 5.
"We’re delighted to have Andres and Kathy join our team," said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, Elite Player Development. "In addition to being an outstanding player herself, Kathy has worked with some of the top players in the country through her work with the U.S. Fed Cup team. Andres has experience working with top young talent. We know he has a lot to contribute to our program as well."
Rinaldi, 41, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world and is a former Top 10 player in both singles and doubles. She won three singles titles and two doubles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA tour. Rinaldi served as coach of the U.S. Fed Cup team under Captain Zina Garrison in 2006 and 2008, and has served as the Touring Pro at the Breakers of Palm Beach, Fla., for 10 years. Rinaldi had an illustrious junior career as well, winning eight USTA national junior titles as well as the Girls’ 18s title at the Orange Bowl International Junior Championships in 1981 at age 14.
Pedroso, 29, of Coconut Grove, Fla., entered the coaching ranks in 2006 after six years on the pro tour and an outstanding college career at Duke. He was a teaching pro at the Biltmore Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla., before serving as the personal coach to top American junior Rhyne Williams, who reached No. 10 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and won a USTA Futures in Pittsburgh at the age of 16 (the youngest player ever to win a USTA Pro Circuit men’s event) under Pedroso’s tutelage. As a pro, Pedroso was ranked as high as No. 271 in the world. He was a two-time All-American at Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to four consecutive ACC Championships.
The new USTA Player Development unit has been created to identify and develop the next generation of American champions by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need to reach their maximum potential.
my 11 year old son has been to high performance camps in Boca and Carson....part of a group of younger players who have gone through lots of physical and mental testing...all the boys who have been with him are not the highest ranked kids in their birth years...we were told that they are looking for kids with raw physical and mental abilities, not necessarily already getting lots of results...by the way, the majority of the boys were not ethnic-tennismom you are way out of line with that, and it does seem that you are hung up on it...
tennis_balla
Hall of Fame
I remember Emmett while he was at Newcombes. Good player, good kid too while he was there.
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tenniscrazed
Guest
The great thing about tennis is its non discriminatory. We all play on the same size court following the same set of rules. When the match is over someone walks away with three balls. The court, and the balls are non discriminitory.
The bottom line is you must win your matches regardless of who's coaching you.
The bottom line is you must win your matches regardless of who's coaching you.
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tenniscrazed
Guest
That is stiff. There is a lot to consider and who is going where. Pretty vague I agree, but think of the size of this association. Maybe an association that works concurrently with the USTA is in order.
...unless you're my kid who invariably shanks at least one ball over the fence and into a street/field, etc.
Shawn James
Rookie
yes those are pretty darn stiff requirements,but those who meet those requirement really deserves all the attention USTA has to offer... I am not talking about them... I see a lot non-winners there.. so where do all these other kids come from to get the free ride?? how do they select those other kids? I don't want to name too many names but just look for yourself..
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tenniscrazed
Guest
Egger is neither ethnically challenged or economically challenged (all of his brothers and sisters are in the AJTP)
Baughman is also not ethnically challenged however by his own admission he is a PHD (poor, hungry and determined).
What is the AJTP (Association for Junior Touring Professionals)
K
kctennis1005
Guest
emmett has a great serve and great volleys....prob best ive seen at his age ever.....no groundstrokes at all tho
K
kctennis1005
Guest
from what ive heard around the block DK thinks he is the sh*t and has invited 3+ players to come train there without the coaches approval. they come once and then DK says they should come more often and they cant say no.
he doesn't meet USTA requirements,what is he doing there?
K
kctennis1005
Guest
DK is pretty highly ranked, but honestly most of the ppl at carson dont meet that requirement.....def not DM or his bro and a lot of the girls dont either. i think on that form they are exaggerating how hard it is to get to train there. DM's bro told me that DK's sister trains there now somehow(shes a 2-star) and so do some of his other friends that dont qualify. thats the main problem. DK is prob good enough, but too much air in that head
tennis_balla
Hall of Fame
He was one of those kids that never gave you trouble as a coach on or off the court. Always friendly too from what I remember. He used to travel back and forth from home to the academy quite a lot. I liked his game though.
K
kctennis1005
Guest
ya he seems like a very nice kid....i lost to him in 3 sets at nationals this summer....i was serving at 4-1 in the 3rd and choked.
DM is no MG he hasn't won jack on the level 1 Nats to be going there.. these guys are getting free everything from coaching to brand new balls every time they play... it's sweet if you are qualified but why the free lunch if you don't meet the requirements?
K
kctennis1005
Guest
i agree....DM's bro has even less requirements....it gets extremely obvious something is wrong when DK's sister is there tho....u know theres some ass-kissing going on and the coaches do nothing.....USTA needs to step in on this
I hear that RB and CH are also there.. WTF?
tennis_balla
Hall of Fame
Man if you guys think there's ass kissing going on in the USTA you should take a quick trip up north and see how Tennis Canada runs things.
K
kctennis1005
Guest
ya both are there.....i heard DK invited RB and RB invited CH.....chain of events and soon everyone will be able to go there
Hey KC. that's the way it should be... open it up to everybody so everyone has a chance to go,it's USTA money and members to get a chance to use the facilities and not just a special kiss-ass few....
TennisCoachFLA
Banned
I was just thinking the same thing. That is twice she entered ethnicity into threads from out of the blue.
come on you guys,stop trying to trap her.. she's one of us(tennis freaks)..she just has a lot of time on her hands being her son is away in Calif. and all... her post sort of makes me smile thinking that my wife could have been like her...
That's pretty rich, coming from you.
