ACADEMY NEWS

TOURNAMENT STATUS Niagara Academy of Tennis will host an U14/U18* tournament February 10-12. Please read our TOURNAMENT GUIDELINES before you confirm your start time. Click CONFIRM to confirm that you know your start time. You can check the BOYS' START TIMES and the GIRLS' START TIMES after noon on Thursday, February 2. For the results of the February 3-5, Boys and Girls U12/U14, click RESULTS.
Instructor's Course in April Niagara Academy of Tennis is once again hosting an Instructor’s Course for tennis players who would like to qualify to teach tennis. The course will be given over two weekends, April 13-15 and April 27-28. If you are 16 or older and you play at a 3.0 level or greater, you are eligible to take the course. The course is designed by Tennis Canada and will be administered by an experienced instructor. Niagara Academy and the OTA look forward to seeing you there. For more information see INSTRUCTOR'S COURSE.
Welcome, Football Players! Welcome to our first football players! In the photo on the right are Coach Geoff McArthur and student-athletes, Jordan Ellis, Matthew Levasseur and Nicholas Bested. The players will be training at the Players Paradise facility in Grimsby and taking their academic courses at Niagara Academy in Vineland. You can find more information on our website by clicking FOOTBALL ACADEMY and FOOTBALL COACHES.
Round Robin to finish Fall Junior Program The Progressive Program ended with a round robin at which all the participants received a t-shirt and a balloon. The first place winner of the round robin was Luka Vukojeva. In second place was Marian Gree and in third place was Jake Mason. Congratulations to all the participants. We hope to see you all again when the program restarts the second week in January. You can see a larger view of this PICTURE.
Tree Planting at Niagara Academy Niagara Academy junior students, Rita Colyer, Stephanie Davis, Simon Davis, Liam Gardner, and Lily Zhang planted a red maple on the grounds of the academy. Carla Carlson, of Niagara Nature Tours taught and guided our willing learners through the various steps in tree planting. The tree planting program was sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Land Care Niagara, as well as the Ontario Power Generation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. For more pictures, click TREE PLANTING.
Niagara Academy Alumni in Houston American Thanksgiving is a great time for Niagara Academy alumni to get together in Canada and the US. Kristina Kinarkina, Aram Karpetyan and Laura Bogdan sent us this photo from Houston, Texas.
Gary Luker, National Champion Niagara Academy of Tennis is proud to have the Canadian National Wheelchair Tennis Champion, Gary Luker, training at our facility. Gary won the 2011 Birmingham Canadian National Championship. Although he competes mainly in the US, he represents Canada in competitions all over the world. Over his 8 years of playing tennis, he developed a very strong forehand. In a competition, he likes to hit to his opponent’s backhand and move the opposition around. Playing in a wheelchair requires additional technical skills that most non-wheelchair tennis players would find very challenging. Aside from having to move the wheelchair with one hand while you hit with the other, or maneuver the wheelchair and then get your racquet ready, you need to be able to hit shots close to your body. We look forward to seeing you on-court on Tuesdays, Gary, and good luck in your future competitions.
Student of the Month, Monika Nowak Monika Nowak was chosen as Student of the Month for November by the teachers and coaches at Niagara Academy. She has an easy-going nature and a cooperative and studious spirit. She’s an excellent student-athlete who is always conscientious, eager to learn and willing to lend a helping hand. In addition, Monika earned Niagara Academy’s top grades. CONGRATULATIONS, MONIKA! You may also read about PREVIOUS STUDENTS OF THE MONTH. To the Top of the Page
BE MAGNIFICENT Challenge Anabell Cordero is the first winner of the “BE MAGNIFICENT” Challenge. Lezlie Murch , Principal of Niagara Academy, gave a challenge to our students. Some of the things the students were expected were being in uniform every day, putting 100% effort into all their academics and tennis, assisting coaches and teachers without being asked and being respectful to family members and others. At the end of one month, students were asked if they had met that challenge. Although many of the students achieved success in many of the challenges, Anabell met them all. Well done, Anabell!
Niagara Academy a Member of OFIS OFIS is an organization of independent schools that supports its members, such as Niagara Academy, by offering professional development and workshops, updates on Ministry of Education expectations and directives and other helpful information. Niagara Academy Teachers and administrative staff have been taking advantage of programs and workshops for about the last five years and recently Becky Lott completed the Principal program offered by OFIS.
Letter from former student, Andrés Olivé Former Student, Andrés Olivé wrote to us from Mexico. Here is some of what he said: Living in Canada and going to NAT didn't just teach me academics and tennis, but it also made me grow up as a person. It made me realize that there's a whole lot of opportunities to become successful out there, and that we have to work to achieve each and every one of them. That's what I want to do. I learned so many values by living with many people from different countries that they became like brothers and sisters to me. My mind opened to so many different things that I had never seen before. When I first got to NAT last summer, I was expecting to have a good year, but I never imagined how great it would actually be, and now that I'm here I can see what I left behind and how much I miss it. To read his complete letter, see ANDRÉS. To the Top of the Page
2011-2012 Niagara Academy Students Anabell Cordero (Mexico City, Mexico) Anabell is an exceptional student. She was chosen Student of the Month for September, because of her determination to succeed. She came to Niagara Academy for the experience of living away from home and to have more intensive tennis training, along with the opportunity to learn English and French. Anabell loves to travel and finds living with a Canadian family has given her a better understanding of another culture. Academically, Anabell is a very strong student. She has made excellent progress in both English and French. In tennis, she feels she is learning to develop a more positive mental attitude in competition. Anabell's charismatic personality and hard-working attitude are sure to bring her success in reaching her future goals.
Rodrigo Cue (Veracruz, Mexico) Rodrigo is back with us this year for Grade 10. He returned to Niagara Academy because he likes his tennis training, his host family and the opportunity to improve his English. He also likes the fact that there are more people his own age training intensively in tennis. Being a very likeable person, he gets along well with both staff and students. On the court he’s a very smart player with a tactical approach to the game. As he is becoming stronger, his ground strokes are also gaining strength. We enjoy having Rodrigo at the Academy and hope he will continue his education with us.
Stephen Davis (Kinston, Jamaica) Although Stephen was born in Canada, he has lived most of his life in Jamaica. Stephen is a very intelligent, articulate and mature student who is taking Grade 9 subjects at Niagara Academy, despite the fact he would be in Grade 8 at his previous school. He has been playing tennis since he was very young, but started to take more intensive training in the last two years. Stephen is very athletic, with loads of talent. He has a strong forehand and can overwhelm his opponent with his explosive game. He decided to come to Niagara Academy in order to develop his game to a higher level with the ultimate goal of becoming a tennis professional. We look forward to watching Stephen’s game over the coming years.
Kyle Korus (Toronto, Canada) Kyle is back at Niagara Academy for a fourth year. He is a very cooperative student who is willing to help others. Although he is still in Grade 11, he is taking mainly Grade 12 subjects. Being a highly motivated academic student, his grades are consistently over 85%. He has developed very solid tennis skills over the last couple of years and is now playing more competitive tennis. He likes the opportunity at Niagara Academy to hit with so many good international players. Like our other student-athletes, his goal is to go to an American college on scholarship. With his natural intelligence and ability he is certain to be successful.
Magda Kovinic (Niagara Falls, Canada) Magda is a Grade 12 student who has been at Niagara Academy since Grade 8. She is now studying for her SAT exams so that she can move on to college next year. Magda, who is from Niagara Falls, is a very sociable student and likes the fact that students at the academy help one another and get along so well with one another. In tennis, she has solid technical skills and is able to play an amazing game of tennis. We look forward to hearing of Magda’s future successes.
Jorge Reyes (Barinas, Venezuela) Jorge has been the best tennis player in Barinas for a long time. He has finished high school in Venezuela, but would like to improve his English while he’s here in Canada. He is a quiet, easy-going and friendly person who gets along with everyone at the academy. Jorge has been playing tennis for 8 years and has developed a great spin on his strokes. Because he loves the game and wants to get better, he’s easy to coach. In a game, he is very fast and deceptively strong. He has an especially powerful backhand. We feel fortunate that Jorge has chosen Niagara Academy to practice his English and tennis and hope that he will take back good memories when he returns to Venezuela.
Angie Torres (Bogotá, Colombia) Angie always appears to be happy and smiling. People enjoy being with Angie because of her positive attitude. She likes the family she is living with and the friends she has made at the Academy. Her three goals in being here are to speak better English, to improve her tennis, and to receive a scholarship to an American college. Since she has already finished high school and she has a strong background in grammatical English, it won’t take her long to develop her fluency in English. On the tennis court, she is a very crafty player with an excellent net game. But always having played on clay prior to coming here, she is now working on increasing her power and speed for the hard court. Good luck in your scholarship quest, Angie.
Jairo Bolivar (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) Jairo came to Niagara Academy for summer camp and decided to stay for the school year. Having already finished high school in Venezuela, he is now looking for a scholarship that will allow him to study psychology while he continues playing competitive tennis. Since he has been playing tennis for 10 years, he has developed excellent strokes. He is athletic, hard-working and disciplined on the court. All of these great qualities, along with his friendly personality will certainly help him achieve his goals. We look forward to hearing of your future success, Jairo. Read about more of our STUDENTS. To the Top of the Page
Amazing Young Juniors Emma Koabel Congratulations, to Niagara Academy Junior Program player EMMA KOABEL! At just 6 years old Emma was the youngest player to be selected by the OTA to be a part of the National Tennis Centre team. With only 14 players to be selected in the whole province this is a very exciting achievement for both Emma and her coaches at Niagara Academy. Keep up the great work Emma! You can see an INTERVIEW WITH EMMA.
Mavryck Gatt Mavryck Gatt is another amazing young player. Eight year old Mavryck has also been chosen to train at the National Training Centre. His determination and constant practice have resulted in an incredible number of wins for such a young player. He started playing tennis at three years-old with his father, former coach Nathan Gatt, but it's his love of the game that keeps him trying all the time to get better and better. Well done, Mavryck! You can see an INTERVIEW WITH MAVRYCK.
Junior Progressive Program The Progressive Tennis Program is a great way for children aged 6-10 to have fun while they learn to play tennis. The ½ and ¾ court size give them a sense of success. The small ratio of coach to player gives each child the attention he/she needs to develop their individual skills. For more pictures of our young tennis players see PROGRESSIVE TENNIS PHOTOS and for more information about the program see PROGRESSIVE TENNIS PROGRAM.
Sergio Carvajal NEC Tennis Rookie of the Month Congratulations, Niagara Academy graduate, Sergio Carvajal! A day after competing in his second-ever collegiate event for Saint Francis University, Sergio was named the Northeast Conference Men's Tennis Rookie of the Month for September. Read more about Sergio on the The Saint Francis Athletics Official Website. To the Top of the Page
Adventure Training The students at Niagara Academy had a wonderful adventure training experience near Bracebridge, Ontario. More ADVENTURE TRAINING photos.
Murray's Courtside Cafe One of the great new additions at Niagara Academy is Murray's courtside cafe. Murray serves snacks, beverages and light lunches with menu that change daily.
Congratulations, Nina! Congratulations to Academy player, Nina Zhang. Nina was Finalist in the Canadian National U12 tournament, August 7, in Mont Tremblant, Quebec.
University Scholarships for NAT Students Congratulations to graduating students, Billy, Lara and Mauricio. Billy Haugen will be going to Southern Oklahoma State University on scholarship. Lara Bogdan has a scholarship to Lamar University in Texas and Mauricio Canton a scholarship to Mercyhurst in New York. Our post-grads, Nuria Tinoco and Sergio Carvajal have also received scholarships. They will be going to St. Francis University in Pennsylvania. Congratulations to all of you from the staff and students at Niagara Academy! For more pictures see SCHOLARS.
OTA Recognizes Lezlie Murch Lezlie Murch has been awarded the 2009 OTA Regional Award in recognition of her contribution to tennis in Ontario. Congratulations, Lezlie! Well deserved!
Lezlie Murch, Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Congratulations, Lezlie! Lezlie was presented with the Innovative Small Business award at the Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year event at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel, Friday, February 26. The award was for the Niagara entrepreneur who demonstrated innovative activity resulting in a successful small business. Staff and students are proud of your inventiveness, determination, and accomplishments. Well done, Lezlie!!!