Goals & Mission
These ladies enjoy USTA team competition Our 3 Tennis Goals
1) Give juniors and adults a break from the internet and stress of a busy life, and replace it by getting into shape, having fun and connecting with new friends. 2) Develop young players (ages 7-12) into highly skilled tennis players who will make the H.S. Varsity team their freshman year. 3) Prepare high school players (ages 13-18) to excel in school competition, and to train USTA tournament players for college financial aid opportunities. Our Mission Through the coaching of tennis we emphasize two very specific life skills: 1) Learning how to live by principles instead of impulse, thereby not being influenced by peer pressure, mood swings or feelings. (see philosophy page) 2) Becoming 'Other Centered' instead of self centered, thereby learning to pass it forward. Do adults learn faster than the kids?
April, who just took up tennis 5 months ago, is a quick learner. Adults usually learn faster than kids because they listen better, remember key phrases and are more eager to learn because they understand the benefit of getting a return on their investment.
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Our History
Summer Demo Day: kids and adults get a chance to win prizes at Jim's court & try the new racquets from Player's Tennis Shop.
The East Country Jr. Team Tennis League was started 10 years ago when Jim and his wife, Polly, moved to Damascus, hoping to retire at the end of a 35 year tennis career.
However, shortly after arriving in East County in March of 2005, 8 local families asked Jim if he had a little extra time to develop a small tennis program for their kids in the Gresham Barlow district. They recruited 32 kids that first summer. The next summer 109 kids showed up and from there it has continued to grow, averaging well over 100 each year. One reason the program has grown is due in part to providing weekly competition matches. Over the past 9 years we have provided a schedule of evening matches throughout the summer that allows kids to develop mental toughness by competing every week at local high schools. No one improves much without this. Kids who treat tennis like a seasonal sport don't improve quickly. This is why we started a monthly Jr. League in 2012 that ran through the winter months. This allows kids to compete year round. Isn't it time your children get off the internet, turn off phone texting and get involved in an individual sport that lasts a lifetime? Prize for 1st place.
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Director Jim Hastings, USPTA Elite Pro
Office Phone (503) 658-3830 Jim went to Kansas State University on a tennis scholarship and graduated in 1969. He later earned the #1 professional teacher's rating from the PTR International Association and the top coaches rating of "Elite Professional" from the United States Professional Teachers Assoc. He began his tennis coaching career in the Washington, D.C. area in the 70's and from there went on to become the head college tennis coach at UCA in 1981.
In the mid 80's Jim began helping touring pros on the ATP world circuit and teamed with three #1 world ranked pros conducting tennis programs for high level players. Prior to that time he was the General Manager of the Manassas Indoor Racquet Club in northern Virginia near Wash., D.C.. Jim was a TV analyst / statistician for World Team Tennis and helped coach America's USTA ProAm team (U.S. top amateurs) at the University World Games in Buffalo, New York involving 32 countries. Several of his former students have been awarded tennis scholar/financial aid to universities across America and 6 of his former students have won the Oregon state high school Championship in the last 18 years. Jim has been an author and teacher to the United States tennis industry over the past 28 years. His books, magazine publications and seminars have been presented to Americas ITA college coaches and club pros in Germany, Latin America and throughout the US. Favorite quote: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” James Elliot - martyred missionary Ecuador, 1956 Convention
Speaker _________________________ As a national speaker to club pros and tennis industry, the following topics have been presented by Jim at these professional conventions: 1) USTA Nationals, New York 2) USPTA regionals (east & west coast) 3) ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Assoc., National covention, Florida 4) PTR - United States Professional Tennis Registry, South Carolina 4) Germany, Costa Rica Topics: 1) How to Grow Jr Programs by using the new International Skills Testing Program 2) How to Motivate Students to Practice Outside of Class 3) Proper Use of Match Statistics 4) Motivating the Advanced Player 5) How to Excel as Teaching Pro 6) How to Maintain Moral Integrity and Time Management to Avoid Burnout 7) How to Earn a College Tennis Scholarship Call Jim Hastings at (503) 421 7911 for availability at your next convention. |
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