On Sunday 9th April, 2023, two players and one coach from the Anguilla Tennis Academy (ATA) – Jharia Webster, Rhonica Connor and Coach Shridath Rey departed Anguilla for Dallas, Texas to undergo one week of intense training under the guidance of T Bar M Athletic Director, Chris Wade. This trip was organized by Founder of the ATA, Mr. Mitchelle Lake.
During the week, Coach Shridath will be exposed to professional development training. He will be engaged in high performance training for junior level players, training sessions for adults, programme management and development; and technical, fitness and mental training.
He looks forward to learning from top level coaches while working alongside them in their tennis environment. “This experience will undoubtedly be beneficial to the ATA as we look forward to using the knowledge and skills towards developing our players in both the ATA’s After School and High-Performance Programmes,” Coach Shridath remarked.
“The purpose of the trip is two-fold. Firstly, to expose our players to greater levels of junior competition and coaching in their quest to compete at the highest level when they depart for college,” ATA Director, Tristin Rogers stated. “Secondly, to further develop some important areas of their game with top level coaches that have coached many Division 1 college players so that they can achieve success when playing competitively at a collegiate level.”
“The ATA is happy to sponsor this professional development trip for our coach and players. This intense week of training will enable our players to advance their tennis game both physically and mentally,” ATA Founder, Mr. Mitchelle Lake said. “It will also provide our coach with greater knowledge and skills that he can pass on during our After School Programme. I extend a heartfelt thank you to Coach Chris and the management and staff at T Bar M Racket Club for their continued support towards the ATA.”
The ATA is a nonprofit organization established under the laws of Anguilla. Since 1996, it has provided tennis to Anguilla as well as the surrounding islands. To this date over 5000 participants have been introduced to the sport of tennis and 13 graduates of the ATA programme have received tennis athletic scholarships to prestigious Division II colleges in the USA.