I had dinner last week at the award-winning restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills. If you haven't ever visited try to do so; it was a "wow moment" that lasted four hours and I lost count of how main courses we savored. Hugo, our server set the tone when he said: "Like farming itself, our menu is always evolving and changing with the seasons. Trust us and enjoy the night, you won't forget it." I'm not 100% sure how Blue Hill, Hugo and tennis at YTC go together, but as I write this it seems to make perfect sense. May is about change in our seasons, a transition from winter tennis to spring/summer tennis and with that change comes an opportunity to create unforgettable moments. Tennis can and does do that every day at YTC, sometimes you just need to try something new and go for it!
May at YTC is the start of USTA season. We have 19 home teams playing out of the club and it's turning into "USTA Country." Just this past weekend two YTC-based Tri-Level teams advanced all the way to the Eastern Sectional Finals. A life changing experience for sure! Who on those teams slept much that weekend? If you haven't thought of trying USTA or just want to watch some fun tennis, go for it. You will catch tennis fever.
On May 15th, we kick into our Summer 2017 programming mode. Open time is $30 per hour, private lessons are on a summer rate of $90 per hour and our junior camp is right around the corner. Go for it!
Late-May is when we roll out our Fall/Winter Jr. Instructional Program. This season we've piloted numerous methods of teaching which we'll be incorporating full-time come Sept. A "Developmental Appropriate Tennis" model (DAT) promises to be a game changer. Ask Tendai Kuwaza about DAT and watch the eyes light up. Blue Hill has nothing on DAT! More on this in the June newsletter!
May also brings about staff changes and role modifications. Oto Enukidze will finish up his time at YTC on May 15th. Vlad Malkin has accepted a Director of Tennis position at a local club and will be departing on May 14th. We wish Vlad and his wife, Marcelle, nothing but the best in this exciting career move. Our approach is simple: when staff depart for career opportunities and they handle it professionally we've done something right as an organization. Go for it Vlad!
With this shift we welcome aboard Alexa Goldberg to the teaching staff. She's currently a rock star on Skidmore College's tennis team. Lucas Gobbi will also be joining the teaching staff. Originating from Brazil and earning his Master's degree at Fordham University in International Finance, Lucas is an exciting addition with a well-rounded skill set. You all know by now about Martin Byrne re-joining the staff in September. A client of his said, "Martin's back, we love Martin!" We love him too and know he'll be great! Lastly, and I'll get into more details about this in June, but come September Tendai Kuwaza will be the Director of Instruction and has already started reworking our Jr. program into the DAT model. He'll work alongside Mark Santucci on and off the court as the program evolves and grows. I think you'll want to be part of "DAT," so please keep your eyes out for more information on this in June.
Lastly, many have asked how Coach Pat is doing. Well, he spent most of the day at YTC yesterday and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. He counted pairs of socks for hours (long story), hit a bit with Mark and instantly brought smiles to the whole club. He's learning guitar, taking up acrylic painting and is still the greatest Ambassador for Tennis we have. We're not changing DAT!