want USTA support ? it's who you know not how good your kid is

D

dannythomas

Professional
My 9 year old daughter was recommended to the USTA for inclusion in their programs by her coach who is one of the best known in the country.
I sensed a reluctance from the USTA based on the e- mails I received which were less than welcoming. But they asked her to come along to a high performance group where " she will be evaluated by our coaches "
After the group the head coach told me he thought she would be a good fit for the group so I was surprised to get an e- mail to say that she could not attend the group again for " logistics reasons "
I exchanged some mystifying e- mails before finally being granted a phone discussion where I was told that the USTA only has funds to support the top 2% of each age group. I found this rather surprising since the group of 8 kids included the son of the junior tennis co-ordinator and the 2 kids of a former grand slam winner at least 2 of these 3 kids being by far the weakest in the group and definitely did not fit this requirement !
Our coach told me that it is no big deal , that most of the top US players have done it in spite of and not because of the USTA.
But I still felt aggrieved and I probably unwisely sent another e- mail questionning the 2% criteria, whether all the kids there fitted it and it was unfortunate that I was not as well connected as some of the other parents ! Not surprisingly he knew what I was getting at and refused to discuss it any further.
I don't expect them to do me any special favors but I am sure the 3 kids I mentioned did not go for any evaluation . In England for instance when the performance coaches recommend your kids the LTA assume they know what they are talking about and invite the recommended kids for a minimum 6 or 8 sessions, not for an " evaluation ". That is a much fairer system.
As you can tell I feel angry about what I feel is misuse of their responsibilities to encourage promising players. It makes you think that the USTA spends all its money from the Open and charges it makes to members employing administrators who mis-use their positions. Perhaps they should spend less on these people and more on supporting young kids - maybe 5% instead of 2% ?
I am sure after what has been said and written they will not invite my daughter again for a long time. Do you think I should just forget it and give up on this or should I continue to make myself heard ?
 
I'm not surprised. The USTA system has always been about picking a certain type of kid. The problem is that the USTA type is usually the kind of kid who ends up playing D1 tennis or maxes out in the 200s or so. To get higher than that you have to be crazy and in America the USTA does not know how to handle those kind of players. The USTA always wants normal kids, but there is nothing normal about being a professional. I dont blame them in a way because the crazy ones (or the crazy parents, often the two go together) are hard to manage. The best thing you can do is go your own way and if you have success, they will jump in later and try to take credit for it. Then you can use their resources.

I would hope that the kids of the slam winner are not receiving money. It's fine for them to be in the program, I would take them if I were the decision maker even if they werent that great, but I wouldn't let them have any USTA funding.
 
dannythomas said:
My 9 year old daughter was recommended to the USTA for inclusion in their programs by her coach who is one of the best known in the country.
I sensed a reluctance from the USTA based on the e- mails I received which were less than welcoming. But they asked her to come along to a high performance group where " she will be evaluated by our coaches "
After the group the head coach told me he thought she would be a good fit for the group so I was surprised to get an e- mail to say that she could not attend the group again for " logistics reasons "
I exchanged some mystifying e- mails before finally being granted a phone discussion where I was told that the USTA only has funds to support the top 2% of each age group. I found this rather surprising since the group of 8 kids included the son of the junior tennis co-ordinator and the 2 kids of a former grand slam winner at least 2 of these 3 kids being by far the weakest in the group and definitely did not fit this requirement !
Our coach told me that it is no big deal , that most of the top US players have done it in spite of and not because of the USTA.
But I still felt aggrieved and I probably unwisely sent another e- mail questionning the 2% criteria, whether all the kids there fitted it and it was unfortunate that I was not as well connected as some of the other parents ! Not surprisingly he knew what I was getting at and refused to discuss it any further.
I don't expect them to do me any special favors but I am sure the 3 kids I mentioned did not go for any evaluation . In England for instance when the performance coaches recommend your kids the LTA assume they know what they are talking about and invite the recommended kids for a minimum 6 or 8 sessions, not for an " evaluation ". That is a much fairer system.
As you can tell I feel angry about what I feel is misuse of their responsibilities to encourage promising players. It makes you think that the USTA spends all its money from the Open and charges it makes to members employing administrators who mis-use their positions. Perhaps they should spend less on these people and more on supporting young kids - maybe 5% instead of 2% ?
I am sure after what has been said and written they will not invite my daughter again for a long time. Do you think I should just forget it and give up on this or should I continue to make myself heard ?
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Your daughters coach is better than any coach the U.S.T.A. has!!! I understand what your saying tho i would love for my daughter to get in with the high performance group.It would really help us because we dont have much money and something like that would be a blessing for my family..
 
I feel your pain. Your right in that it has alot to do with who you know when it comes to the USTA and also how your kid fit their particular agenda. Right now one of the things that is on their agenda is to prove that Quickstart actually is the way to develop a tennis champion and and that they are doing the right thing by eliminating the 10s and going totally to quickstart on small courts. So the young kids that are coming up and that they are looking at need to be their ambassador for the quickstart program and promote that they used it and its what made them get to where they are today. They are absolutely giving those kids favoritism - we had a situation where they had a QS tournament that was part of a regular tournament and instead of giving them their QS ranking points which are small, they gave them large sectional high level ranking points and had many groups(blue, red etc) so there was only 3 kids in each group and could all get big ranking points in the 10s. I also know that a person who played on the pro tour for many years who has a daughter who is good player but not outstanding is in the high performance program at USTA because she is going to be the ambassador of Quickstart and her mom is very well known. Just remember when it comes to the USTA, it does not always have to do with talent - its the top 2 percent that fit their needs and agendas. I wish you and your daughter tons of great success and hope to see your daughter raise to the top above those that are being given the opportunity because they fit the USTA's agenda and not their talent. GOOD LUCK!
 
GATennisMom said:
I feel your pain. Your right in that it has alot to do with who you know when it comes to the USTA and also how your kid fit their particular agenda. Right now one of the things that is on their agenda is to prove that Quickstart actually is the way to develop a tennis champion and and that they are doing the right thing by eliminating the 10s and going totally to quickstart on small courts. So the young kids that are coming up and that they are looking at need to be their ambassador for the quickstart program and promote that they used it and its what made them get to where they are today. They are absolutely giving those kids favoritism - we had a situation where they had a QS tournament that was part of a regular tournament and instead of giving them their QS ranking points which are small, they gave them large sectional high level ranking points and had many groups(blue, red etc) so there was only 3 kids in each group and could all get big ranking points in the 10s. I also know that a person who played on the pro tour for many years who has a daughter who is good player but not outstanding is in the high performance program at USTA because she is going to be the ambassador of Quickstart and her mom is very well known. Just remember when it comes to the USTA, it does not always have to do with talent - its the top 2 percent that fit their needs and agendas. I wish you and your daughter tons of great success and hope to see your daughter raise to the top above those that are being given the opportunity because they fit the USTA's agenda and not their talent. GOOD LUCK!
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Are u guys playing at R.C.S. sat morning?We will be there at 8:30.I would like to meet you guys.I will be with my wife and all of her grandparents.
 
ga tennis said:
Are u guys playing at R.C.S. sat morning?We will be there at 8:30.I would like to meet you guys.I will be with my wife and all of her grandparents.
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Yes she has a lesson with Rick at 10 then footwork drills at 11. Maybe we can meet you there around 9-45 ?
 
dannythomas said:
Yes she has a lesson with Rick at 10 then footwork drills at 11. Maybe we can meet you there around 9-45 ?
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SORRY!!! dannythomas that message was sent to gatennismom her son is playing at the same tournament my daughter is playing at.Sorry for the confusion.
 
Well she sounds like a really good player. Have you considered seeing if you could get her some scholarship to go to Bolleteri or someplace like that?
 
vandre said:
kinda makes you think that the usta ceo's $9 million paycheck is too large, huh? :evil:
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Ha, yes. Especially since the USTA based it mainly on the increase in attendance at the US Open. Of course they forgot to mention the part where they gave away tickets to corporations and wrote them up as revenue as if they sold full price.

Its great when you get to provide the statistic information on which your own bonus is based!!
 
HunterST said:
Well she sounds like a really good player. Have you considered seeing if you could get her some scholarship to go to Bolleteri or someplace like that?
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That would be awesome!!I wish i could get her in a place like that. I spoke to the people at I.M.G. just to inquire about 8 year olds that were enrolled at the academy and was told that currently they have 6 8 year olds that are there full time.I wouldnt send her away to live there but i would move my family down there to train if i could afford it.I know that isnt gonna happen so imma just keep doing what were doing and get her in tournaments and maybe her results will get her noticed.One thing i have learned in tennis is results dont lie ,and if she continues to improve at the rate she is now then maybe somewhere like I.M.G might take notice.I just dont want my financial ability to limit her from reaching her full potential I worked for Nick for 3 years while i was in college and i can say from first hand experience that my daughter would go to a whole nother level if she had that luxury..
 
ga tennis said:
Are u guys playing at R.C.S. sat morning?We will be there at 8:30.I would like to meet you guys.I will be with my wife and all of her grandparents.
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We are also at RCS on Saturday - our sons match is at 8am so we will be there at 730am. I will send you a cell number through your account on here so we can meet up!
 
GATennisMom said:
We are also at RCS on Saturday - our sons match is at 8am so we will be there at 730am. I will send you a cell number through your account on here so we can meet up!
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
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ga tennis said:
Your daughters coach is better than any coach the U.S.T.A. has!!! I understand what your saying tho i would love for my daughter to get in with the high performance group.It would really help us because we dont have much money and something like that would be a blessing for my family..
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Why would GOOGOOGAGATENNIS and Danny Thomas complain about the USTA not helping there kids or funding them for that matter? Do you think it's fair to not earn your way in instead of complaining about the fact that a few of the kids get special privelages?

Your kids need to be top ranked or top 5-10 to be considered. Go make that happen first before crying about it, Geez.......
 
ga tennis said:
MY NUMBER IS XXXXXXXXX.. GOOD LUCK!!!!
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Can I call you at 8 pm tonight about an exciting financial offer?

Seriously, please edit your post to remove the number and send email instead. There are automated bots on the Internet which troll the place looking for numbers and addresses.
 
ga tennis said:
That would be awesome!!I wish i could get her in a place like that. I spoke to the people at I.M.G. just to inquire about 8 year olds that were enrolled at the academy and was told that currently they have 6 8 year olds that are there full time.I wouldnt send her away to live there but i would move my family down there to train if i could afford it.I know that isnt gonna happen so imma just keep doing what were doing and get her in tournaments and maybe her results will get her noticed.One thing i have learned in tennis is results dont lie ,and if she continues to improve at the rate she is now then maybe somewhere like I.M.G might take notice.I just dont want my financial ability to limit her from reaching her full potential I worked for Nick for 3 years while i was in college and i can say from first hand experience that my daughter would go to a whole nother level if she had that luxury..
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Well I guess the lucky part is 1. she's a girl 2. she's 8

That should mean you wont have much difficulty just finding people to really challenge her and push her to her limits. I mean even if there are no 8 year old girls that are close to her level at a nearby club, surely she could practice with high school girls or even high school boys.
 
notennis said:
Why would GOOGOOGAGATENNIS and Danny Thomas complain about the USTA not helping there kids or funding them for that matter? Do you think it's fair to not earn your way in instead of complaining about the fact that a few of the kids get special privelages?

Your kids need to be top ranked or top 5-10 to be considered. Go make that happen first before crying about it, Geez.......
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I diasagree completely and totally. At aged 9 it is about developing what is best in the kids' games. Tournaments are almost irrelevant at that age. There are kids who are hugely talented who are not even playing tournaments. There are a number of world renowned coaches who are teaching younger kids and if they recommend them to the USTA talent development team they are doing it for a reason.

Practical example - you have a 7 year old kid ( particularly a girl ) who likes to attack the net. Very unusual in girls of that age. Put them into tournaments playing like that and they will get beaten 9 times out of 10 by the play safe baseliners. So what happens ? If everything is based on rankings then the kid will probably end up giving up on that style of play . So the coaches who know what they are doing recognize that these kids may need to be held back and play loads of practice sets where rankings are not an issue until they are older.

According to you, such kids should be ignored because they are not ranked in the top 5. That is exactly the sort of thinking that explains why the USTA has not produced any top players for years. Instead like they do in Europe grab the kids early , work with them and their coaches and the results will follow later.

And by the way the kids that I am saying ARE being invted by the USTA are not the top 5 either. They are kids of the USTA development team or of former high profile players.
 
GATennisMom said:
I feel your pain. Your right in that it has alot to do with who you know when it comes to the USTA and also how your kid fit their particular agenda. Right now one of the things that is on their agenda is to prove that Quickstart actually is the way to develop a tennis champion and and that they are doing the right thing by eliminating the 10s and going totally to quickstart on small courts. So the young kids that are coming up and that they are looking at need to be their ambassador for the quickstart program and promote that they used it and its what made them get to where they are today. They are absolutely giving those kids favoritism - we had a situation where they had a QS tournament that was part of a regular tournament and instead of giving them their QS ranking points which are small, they gave them large sectional high level ranking points and had many groups(blue, red etc) so there was only 3 kids in each group and could all get big ranking points in the 10s. I also know that a person who played on the pro tour for many years who has a daughter who is good player but not outstanding is in the high performance program at USTA because she is going to be the ambassador of Quickstart and her mom is very well known. Just remember when it comes to the USTA, it does not always have to do with talent - its the top 2 percent that fit their needs and agendas. I wish you and your daughter tons of great success and hope to see your daughter raise to the top above those that are being given the opportunity because they fit the USTA's agenda and not their talent. GOOD LUCK!
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Thanks GATM- so true.
 
notennis said:
Why would GOOGOOGAGATENNIS and Danny Thomas complain about the USTA not helping there kids or funding them for that matter? Do you think it's fair to not earn your way in instead of complaining about the fact that a few of the kids get special privelages?

Your kids need to be top ranked or top 5-10 to be considered. Go make that happen first before crying about it, Geez.......
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Consider the source, this is the same individual supporting B.B.! :oops:
 
The USTA should just make tennis affordable for as many kids as possible. Let the best kids rise and get plucked up by the big name coaches and academies. Those people get paid to find the best and will not be fooled by USTA rankings.

You have to grow the pool of tennis players and then make sure all can afford to bash it out at the tournies.

The USTA should get out of the business of trying to find and develop a champion and just grow the game.
 
notennis said:
Why would GOOGOOGAGATENNIS and Danny Thomas complain about the USTA not helping there kids or funding them for that matter? Do you think it's fair to not earn your way in instead of complaining about the fact that a few of the kids get special privelages?

Your kids need to be top ranked or top 5-10 to be considered. Go make that happen first before crying about it, Geez.......
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knowtennis will you please show me the rankings for the 8 and under division that you are talking about????????????????I NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE U.S.T.A NOT FUNDING MY CHILD!!!I wanna know how my 8 year old daughter can be ranked top 10 when there is no ranking system for that age ?????????? Will u please explain???NOW GET A CLUE BEFORE YOU SHOW YOUR STUPIDITY AGAIN!!! DONTKNOWTENNIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
sureshs said:
Can I call you at 8 pm tonight about an exciting financial offer?

Seriously, please edit your post to remove the number and send email instead. There are automated bots on the Internet which troll the place looking for numbers and addresses.
Click to expand...

THANKS!!!!!!!
 
dannythomas said:
I diasagree completely and totally. At aged 9 it is about developing what is best in the kids' games. Tournaments are almost irrelevant at that age. There are kids who are hugely talented who are not even playing tournaments. There are a number of world renowned coaches who are teaching younger kids and if they recommend them to the USTA talent development team they are doing it for a reason.

Practical example - you have a 7 year old kid ( particularly a girl ) who likes to attack the net. Very unusual in girls of that age. Put them into tournaments playing like that and they will get beaten 9 times out of 10 by the play safe baseliners. So what happens ? If everything is based on rankings then the kid will probably end up giving up on that style of play . So the coaches who know what they are doing recognize that these kids may need to be held back and play loads of practice sets where rankings are not an issue until they are older.

According to you, such kids should be ignored because they are not ranked in the top 5. That is exactly the sort of thinking that explains why the USTA has not produced any top players for years. Instead like they do in Europe grab the kids early , work with them and their coaches and the results will follow later.

And by the way the kids that I am saying ARE being invted by the USTA are not the top 5 either. They are kids of the USTA development team or of former high profile players.
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I agree with you 99% of the time dannythomas but i do think tornament play is good for young kids just as long as you dont over do it. I think one tournament a month is good for 7 8 and 9 year olds.I have noticed that my daughter improves every tournament she plays.Im not saying what you are doing is wrong but there are alot of things kids learn from playing tournaments.
 
ga tennis said:
I agree with you 99% of the time dannythomas but i do think tornament play is good for young kids just as long as you dont over do it. I think one tournament a month is good for 7 8 and 9 year olds.I have noticed that my daughter improves every tournament she plays.Im not saying what you are doing is wrong but there are alot of things kids learn from playing tournaments.
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Why not do it the right way and wait until they are at least 9 and play them in the 10's. Let them prove to therselvs that they can get through the pushers, etc. These kids will be competing there whole lives let them see the results and work towards a goal of being a part of the USTA program. You as parents should be playing matches with them. Be patient and don't force the issue by playing the 8's (GOOGOOGAGATENNIS) Genious.......
 
notennis said:
Why not do it the right way and wait until they are at least 9 and play them in the 10's. Let them prove to therselvs that they can get through the pushers, etc. These kids will be competing there whole lives let them see the results and work towards a goal of being a part of the USTA program. You as parents should be playing matches with them. Be patient and don't force the issue by playing the 8's (GOOGOOGAGATENNIS) Genious.......
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The 10 and under division is quickstart????What will that prove?? We have to play the 12s and last weekend we had to play in the 14s...
 
ga tennis said:
I agree with you 99% of the time dannythomas but i do think tornament play is good for young kids just as long as you dont over do it. I think one tournament a month is good for 7 8 and 9 year olds.I have noticed that my daughter improves every tournament she plays.Im not saying what you are doing is wrong but there are alot of things kids learn from playing tournaments.
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I don't disagree with you either GAT- some kids start playing tournaments earlier than others. There is no formula that works for all kids. Of course kids can still play matches tournaments or otherwise. My point is the USTA should help as many kids as possible at a young age - some that play tournaments and others that don't.
If I'm not mistaken Venus and Serena did not play tournaments until they were about 13. That doesn't make it right or wrong for everyone.
And the support does not have to be sticking the kids in a USTA Center for 2 hours a week with USTA coaches. If the talent is recognised let them give some financial contribution so that they can be coached by top coaches outside the USTA system that so many families just cannot afford. Oh, sorry I forgot the USTA say they have no money !
 
dannythomas said:
I don't disagree with you either GAT- some kids start playing tournaments earlier than others. There is no formula that works for all kids. Of course kids can still play matches tournaments or otherwise. My point is the USTA should help as many kids as possible at a young age - some that play tournaments and others that don't.
If I'm not mistaken Venus and Serena did not play tournaments until they were about 13. That doesn't make it right or wrong for everyone.
And the support does not have to be sticking the kids in a USTA Center for 2 hours a week with USTA coaches. If the talent is recognised let them give some financial contribution so that they can be coached by top coaches outside the USTA system that so many families just cannot afford. Oh, sorry I forgot the USTA say they have no money !
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I agree with you danny. Kids are ready for tournies at all sorts of ages. I remember one pro saying she played her 1st one at age 4! I forget who that was.

By the way, you have Serena and Venus time line reversed. They actually started playing tournaments rather young, I think like age 6. Their dad then pulled them from juniors after they went a combined 91-4. I think they quit juniors at about age 12. Their dad didn't like the atmosphere of junior tennis.
 
TennisCoachFLA said:
The USTA should just make tennis affordable for as many kids as possible. Let the best kids rise and get plucked up by the big name coaches and academies. Those people get paid to find the best and will not be fooled by USTA rankings.

You have to grow the pool of tennis players and then make sure all can afford to bash it out at the tournies.

The USTA should get out of the business of trying to find and develop a champion and just grow the game.
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I agree with this.
 
My point is the USTA should help as many kids as possible at a young age - some that play tournaments and others that don't.
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Yes. There's an interesting program that I read about in the NYT's. It was for the National Tennis Center in NY where they hold a tryout tournament to get a scholarship to that center for a year and they offer like 50 scholarships a year or something. I don't know if they still have that program or not, but it's an interesting idea and would eliminate favortism and nepotism to some degree.
 
TennisCoachFLA said:
Ha, yes. Especially since the USTA based it mainly on the increase in attendance at the US Open. Of course they forgot to mention the part where they gave away tickets to corporations and wrote them up as revenue as if they sold full price.

Its great when you get to provide the statistic information on which your own bonus is based!!
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I have been watching the us open since the early '80's and its always the same thing, This year we have broken attendance to record levels! Never one bad year. You know there is some kind of accounting fraud going on so this guy can get paid.
 
TennisCoachFLA said:
The USTA should just make tennis affordable for as many kids as possible. Let the best kids rise and get plucked up by the big name coaches and academies. Those people get paid to find the best and will not be fooled by USTA rankings.

You have to grow the pool of tennis players and then make sure all can afford to bash it out at the tournies.

The USTA should get out of the business of trying to find and develop a champion and just grow the game.
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Completely agree. I'd even take this a step further and say the USTA should fold the tent poles if they can't get their act together and create a system that fosters growth of the sport. If a company were run like the USTA operates, it would be out of business in a heart beat.
 
dannythomas said:
I don't disagree with you either GAT- some kids start playing tournaments earlier than others. There is no formula that works for all kids. Of course kids can still play matches tournaments or otherwise. My point is the USTA should help as many kids as possible at a young age - some that play tournaments and others that don't.
If I'm not mistaken Venus and Serena did not play tournaments until they were about 13. That doesn't make it right or wrong for everyone.
And the support does not have to be sticking the kids in a USTA Center for 2 hours a week with USTA coaches. If the talent is recognised let them give some financial contribution so that they can be coached by top coaches outside the USTA system that so many families just cannot afford. Oh, sorry I forgot the USTA say they have no money !
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You are so right about there is no one formula that works for all kids..When Does Rick think kids should start playing tournaments.
 
dannythomas said:
I diasagree completely and totally. At aged 9 it is about developing what is best in the kids' games. Tournaments are almost irrelevant at that age. There are kids who are hugely talented who are not even playing tournaments. There are a number of world renowned coaches who are teaching younger kids and if they recommend them to the USTA talent development team they are doing it for a reason.

Practical example - you have a 7 year old kid ( particularly a girl ) who likes to attack the net. Very unusual in girls of that age. Put them into tournaments playing like that and they will get beaten 9 times out of 10 by the play safe baseliners. So what happens ? If everything is based on rankings then the kid will probably end up giving up on that style of play . So the coaches who know what they are doing recognize that these kids may need to be held back and play loads of practice sets where rankings are not an issue until they are older.

According to you, such kids should be ignored because they are not ranked in the top 5. That is exactly the sort of thinking that explains why the USTA has not produced any top players for years. Instead like they do in Europe grab the kids early , work with them and their coaches and the results will follow later.

And by the way the kids that I am saying ARE being invted by the USTA are not the top 5 either. They are kids of the USTA development team or of former high profile players.
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Let me get this straight. You want the USTA to support (financially) a kid who appears to have talent by virtue of the way they hit,etc? Why should the USTA inherit a kid who is unproven and quite possibly weak minded based on their up bringing ? Wow, you and GOOGOOGAGATENNIS are a match made in heaven. It's a little expensive for the USTA to give away free money to an unknown (genious). I'm tired of hearing how the USTA has not produced anything. If a kid has a complete package, and can balance that with what is being taught by the USTA they should be able to becaome a top player. For all parents on here who have (bank) my advice would be to take your kids to Spain and build your pro. For those with no money, take up a sport like Football, Baseball,Basketball, Volleyball, swimming. All four of these are great sports (American) and can at the very least get you a scholarship or go beyond that. Quit complaining about why nobody wants to help you. Tennis, BTW just happens to be a sport made for a king kinda like Horse Polo, you need cash. If you don't got cash, go do something about it like working 3 jobs and never seeing your kids. Now that would be a great sacrifice, geez.

P.S.
Now you know where I came up with GOOGOOGAGATENNIS, he cries all the time.......
 
With all due respect you sound "overly" invested in her tennis success. Why not go with the flow and see what happens?
 
notennis said:
For those with no money, take up a sport like Football, Baseball,Basketball, Volleyball, swimming. All four of these are great sports
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Believe me, these sports can all chew up a wad of dough in their own right if you want to become an elite competitor. Maybe not the same a tennis, but they're working on it. Wrestling and track are still inexpensive though the travel costs for regional/national competitions are still not insignificant.
 
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notennis said:
Let me get this straight. You want the USTA to support (financially) a kid who appears to have talent by virtue of the way they hit,etc? Why should the USTA inherit a kid who is unproven and quite possibly weak minded based on their up bringing ? Wow, you and GOOGOOGAGATENNIS are a match made in heaven. It's a little expensive for the USTA to give away free money to an unknown (genious). I'm tired of hearing how the USTA has not produced anything. If a kid has a complete package, and can balance that with what is being taught by the USTA they should be able to becaome a top player. For all parents on here who have (bank) my advice would be to take your kids to Spain and build your pro. For those with no money, take up a sport like Football, Baseball,Basketball, Volleyball, swimming. All four of these are great sports (American) and can at the very least get you a scholarship or go beyond that. Quit complaining about why nobody wants to help you. Tennis, BTW just happens to be a sport made for a king kinda like Horse Polo, you need cash. If you don't got cash, go do something about it like working 3 jobs and never seeing your kids. Now that would be a great sacrifice, geez.

P.S.
Now you know where I came up with GOOGOOGAGATENNIS, he cries all the time.......
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I think a big part of the reason that we (USA) are not dominating in tennis the way we have in the past is that our tennis association doesn't support the young players whose parents cannot afford to take them very far in the sport.

If you look at national rankings, you have a lot of kids whose rankings are at least as much a reflection of the depth of their parents pockets as they are of that child's talents and abilities.

So if we want another crop of great American tennis champions to compete with the very hungry European kids and now up and coming Chinese players, we really need a tennis association that takes a different approach than the USTA has so far.

I don't agree that the USTA should pick out the most talented children at age 8, 9, 10, etc...but I do think they should make try to make the sport more affordable for all children and the ones who are good and want to continue in the sport will naturally rise to the top in the 14's, 16's, 18's.
 
decades said:
With all due respect you sound "overly" invested in her tennis success. Why not go with the flow and see what happens?
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It's a very fine line between being overly invested and appropriately invested...The problem is that "go with the flow..." risks a lot of missed opportunities. If you have a promising kid who has the desire to succeed at the highest levels of this game, how can you not invest everything you can in that kid? Of course, you have to invest smartly, but that means seeking and grabbing the best opportunities available, and yes it means sometimes that parents need to be pushy and vocal, as well as encouraging, nudging, prodding, and pushing, anything but passive. Nobody just flows to the highest levels of this game without an active support team behind him or her.
 
ga tennis said:
You are so right about there is no one formula that works for all kids..When Does Rick think kids should start playing tournaments.
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I don't think he has any fixed ideas about that - he gives them a load of competitve sets from an early age but tournaments are case by case
 
notennis said:
Let me get this straight. You want the USTA to support (financially) a kid who appears to have talent by virtue of the way they hit,etc? Why should the USTA inherit a kid who is unproven and quite possibly weak minded based on their up bringing ? Wow, you and GOOGOOGAGATENNIS are a match made in heaven. It's a little expensive for the USTA to give away free money to an unknown (genious). I'm tired of hearing how the USTA has not produced anything. If a kid has a complete package, and can balance that with what is being taught by the USTA they should be able to becaome a top player. For all parents on here who have (bank) my advice would be to take your kids to Spain and build your pro. For those with no money, take up a sport like Football, Baseball,Basketball, Volleyball, swimming. All four of these are great sports (American) and can at the very least get you a scholarship or go beyond that. Quit complaining about why nobody wants to help you. Tennis, BTW just happens to be a sport made for a king kinda like Horse Polo, you need cash. If you don't got cash, go do something about it like working 3 jobs and never seeing your kids. Now that would be a great sacrifice, geez.

P.S.
Now you know where I came up with GOOGOOGAGATENNIS, he cries all the time.......
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Trying to pick out the key points from the rest of this not too clever post I think they are that families with not much money should take up another sport, you are tired of hearing that the USTA has not produced any top players , that they should not bother looking for talented young kids and that the kids whose families do have money should go to Spain. Great thinking .I don't know about genius -perhaps we should make you the new USTA Supremo and let you put these "policies" into action.
 
notennis said:
Why would GOOGOOGAGATENNIS and Danny Thomas complain about the USTA not helping there kids or funding them for that matter? Do you think it's fair to not earn your way in instead of complaining about the fact that a few of the kids get special privelages?

Your kids need to be top ranked or top 5-10 to be considered. Go make that happen first before crying about it, Geez.......
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Dude enough of you man you are a complete "thread downer" Mr. Baughmans kid had the criteria and the goods for programs ay any level and his dad could be proud of that, yet all you do is slam everyone who loves their kids.

I get it now I'm a little PO'd that Deit beat me and I see what it is Deiton smoked one of your kids and you have "thread rage" now get over it small man and leave all these nutty parents who ''LOVE" their kids to theirselves
 
decades said:
With all due respect you sound "overly" invested in her tennis success. Why not go with the flow and see what happens?
Click to expand...

Believe me there are parents who take it a lot further than I do - pulling their 7 and 8 year olds out of school and putting them into Tennis Academies for 6 hours intensive training every day with home schooling. I don't agree with that - not for my kid at any rate. I am sure it works for some but it also risks burn out.
But most tennis parents do get heavily involved with what their kids do , probably more than in team sports because it is one of the toughest mentally so the challenge is to bring the best out of them while keeping it fun.
 
dannythomas said:
Believe me there are parents who take it a lot further than I do - pulling their 7 and 8 year olds out of school and putting them into Tennis Academies for 6 hours intensive training every day with home schooling. I don't agree with that - not for my kid at any rate. I am sure it works for some but it also risks burn out.
But most tennis parents do get heavily involved with what their kids do , probably more than in team sports because it is one of the toughest mentally so the challenge is to bring the best out of them while keeping it fun.
Click to expand...

Keep it fun and be sure to bring a gallon of Ice Cream to your next practice. This is why the USTA would not waste a dime........
 
LeftyServe said:
It's a very fine line between being overly invested and appropriately invested...The problem is that "go with the flow..." risks a lot of missed opportunities. If you have a promising kid who has the desire to succeed at the highest levels of this game, how can you not invest everything you can in that kid? Of course, you have to invest smartly, but that means seeking and grabbing the best opportunities available, and yes it means sometimes that parents need to be pushy and vocal, as well as encouraging, nudging, prodding, and pushing, anything but passive. Nobody just flows to the highest levels of this game without an active support team behind him or her.
Click to expand...

Well put and well said.........
 
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