In September 2015, the Anguilla Tennis Academy (ATA) under the direction of the Founder and CEO, Mr. Mitchelle Lake, launched a High Performance Academy (HPA), where players could attend school full time at the ATA facility, in Blowing Point, Anguilla. Players enrolled in this program engage in high performance tennis training, while enrolled at Laurel Springs School, an accredited online private school. Lake stated, “My vision for introducing a high performance academy was solely to give students an opportunity to train at a higher level whereby they can maximize their full potential in the game of tennis and achieve tennis athletic scholarships.”
The ATA’s High Performance Academy players are eager to develop their tennis game and pursue higher education beyond the boundaries of Anguilla. These are tennis players on the island who would not otherwise be given an opportunity to go off to college or university overseas via tennis athletic scholarships. We anticipate these players using tennis as a vehicle to pursue education. The pursuit of higher education for most players would be impossible without an athletic and/or academic scholarship. To this end, the ATA’s High Performance Academy provide an opportunity to local players who are interested and who are capable of taking on the challenge of high performance training.
The High Performance Academy is an excellent opportunity for senior players, especially those who aspire to pursue tertiary level education at division 1 and or division 2 schools in the United States. Players who participate in this program would be afforded over 5 hours of tennis training daily, while completing their school studies. This opportunity for intense training allows players to develop into the level of player needed for division 1 and division 2 schools, which would not be otherwise afforded to players unless they enrolled in the Anguilla Tennis Academy’s High Performance Academy. We recognize that most of our players are academically inclined to succeed at division 1 or division 2 schools, but need additional hours of training to compete for a position on the teams of these institutions.
Laurel Springs combines the benefits of traditional school with the flexibility of personalized online learning. This is very important and significant for the ATA’s local players, who need the additional training to bring themselves to the competitive level, as similar students who are also applying to universities
Currently enrolled at the High Performance Academy are three players Xander Owen-Vasilis, (son of Michelle Owen-Vasilis and Peter Vasilis) Lucien Baronier (Son of Susan Baronier and Pascal Baronnier) and Cuthwin Webster Jr. (son of Cuthwin Webster Sr. and Axa Webster). These three players grew up in the ATA’s After School Program and are currently being trained by local coaches Denny Derrick, HPA Director, George Richards, and Damien Brookes. In June 2016 the three players are travelling to T Bar M Racquet Club, Dallas, Texas to train at their High Performance Academy. The Players are training hard each week in anticipation of this intense training and anticipate that this experience will improve their individual tennis game. There will be several Fundraisers in the weeks ahead to help cover costs associated with the trip. We encourage the community to support these players and their fundraisers. For more information on ATA High Performance Academy or how you can support the players, e-mail us at info@anguillatennis.com or call us at 264-498-0697.
Photos Courtesy Keiroy Browne
