1. OTA's new "Raise
the Net" initiative has reached over 96 clubs, over 5500 people,
utilizing over 4000 volunteers so far this year. Surveys have been issued and
will be examined for improvements and plans for 2015. Check out www.raisethenet.ca and locate
the CLUBSTRONG resource centre under CLUBS.
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| Sahaj Gives RTN Presentation to STF |
2. Capital Kids has been a great success this season. Programs ran at
4 different locations across Ottawa – Jules Morin/Bordeleau Park, Sheffield
Glen Park, Judge Park and Alta Vista School from early June to end of
September. 770 kids between the ages of 6-12 registered and participated in the
program at least for one 4 week session (some did 2, 3 or all 4 sessions).
Lessons were offered between 3 and 5 times per week (depending on the location)
with over 80% of kids playing twice per week. There were 9 coaches, 3
volunteers, and 7 juniors instructors active in delivering lessons throughout
the summer.
3. Little Aces in Ottawa reached 31
elementary schools in the Ottawa area between January-June, introducing tennis
in the gym/schoolyard to approximately 4700 kids between the ages of 5-12. This
in turn lead to connections with 8 member clubs and their local schools.
Similarly, the Scarborough Tennis Federation (STF) Little
Aces reached 984 kids across 8 schools in the region. The goal of all clubs
should be to get more kids trying tennis at the local schools nearest their
facilities. By trying out the sport, they will likely rave about it to their
parents and hopefully start on a lifelong path of love for the game.
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| TC enjoys some tennis in Scarborough |
4. Kid’s Tennis concluded the initial 6 week program with Holland Bloorview children’s rehabilitation school. The program was very well received and we are in the
process of booking new dates for 2015. There were 130 kids and 55 volunteers
participating in this program during the initial introduction of the program.
We will continue to build this relationship with the school and volunteers for
future growth.
5. Pizzaville Smash Cage - 20 clubs and festivals used
this new inflatable cage, both in the GTA and Ottawa
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| In Front of the Smash Cage at Sunshine event closing |
6. Tennis Rocks Festival in June with the ICTA - 38
teams, 200 kids participated
7. The new
national and provincial ranking system went live in April for the Juniors.
Work continues on refining the algorithms used to develop an accurate ranking
and the office continues to collect feedback. Since May, there has been an
increase of 32% in junior tournament event entries.
8. Thanks for our DSA winners for 2014: Julio DiCresce
from Bolton T.C. and Renate Crizzle from Heron Park T.C. A full listing of past DSA recipients can be found on our website.
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| Renate & Julio accept their awards |
9. U9 Champions held for the 2nd year at Rexall Nov 7-8. The OTA Eliminated
the regional play-downs and had one large draw (38 girls, 71 boys). Because of
the size, the format was changed to a flight system comprised of 14 draws which
guaranteed each player 3 matches. Congratulations to Stefan Simeunovic of Ontario Racquet Club (ORC) and Victoria Mboko of ACE Academy for their
wins and each will receive a $6,000 grant for further training. The finalists, Adrian Smith of Timberlane and Madison Lee of ORC each receive a
$4,000 grant. These grants are thanks to the generous donations from Mr. Murray
Rubin. More details from this and last year's event can be found on the OTA's website under Player Development.
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| Award winners at the 2014 U9 Champions, with Murray Rubin |
10. There is a great article in the fall issue of OTA
magazine...a rare interview with OTAExecutive Director Jim Boyce.
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| OTA Executive Director Jim Boyce |
11. A small board committee worked with OTA staff in 2013/14
to develop a draft of a comprehensive Volunteer
Policy including background check requirements for OTA employees, coaches,
officials and volunteers. This initiative forms part of the OTA's overall Risk
Management Plan that has been in place since 2009. The policy has been approved and includes
details such as the role of the volunteer to the success of tennis in Ontario,
volunteer rights and expectations, volunteer training and orientation and
volunteer recognition. It also includes new requirements for conducting various
levels of police background checks (PBCs)
for OTA volunteers, employees and other paid positions such as coaches and
officials. All this material is available now on the resource centre. Background
checks take affect Jan 1, 2015 and will be required for all officials and
coaches and select volunteers. These and other policies can be found on the
CLUBSTRONG resource centre.
12. The OTA participated this year for the first time in
the 3rd annual Raonic Race-For-Kids fundraising event organized by Tennis
Canada. Our team, the "OTAFuture Stars", raised over $9,000 for the charity, with the total
amount raised across 16 teams coming in at $130,000. Our celebrity team captain
was ATP and Canadian Davis Cup tennis star Frank Dancevic, who gave every
challenge great energy and enthusiasm. More information can be found at The Milos Raonic Foundation website.
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| OTA Future Stars Team with Celebrity Captain Frank Dancevic |
