Sport Fit Bowie's Ace Junior Tennis Academy Highlights of 2006
Sport Fit Bowie has many junior tennis opportunities. At the highest level of performance is the ACE Junior Tennis Academy. The ACE players have had another great year and the program and it's achievements are listed.
Bowie, MD (PRWEB) February 11, 2007
"It's no longer a quiet success," said Rozzell Lightfoot while discussing his ACE Junior Tennis Program at Sport Fit Bowie. Coach Rozzell is the Head Pro for the Junior Academy located directly east, just outside the Washington, D. C. Beltway in Bowie, Maryland. He has developed the program over the last 4 years at Sport Fit and the players' performance is speaking volumes about the success of the approach that the coaches are taking.
Rozzell also is known as a coach that watches the players in their tournament matches and travels extensively. He's also one of the first High Performance Coaches certified by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Rozzell Lightfoot is a former top ranked player from the Mid-Atlantic area and the former #1 player for Hampton University.
Having worked to develop players from 4 year olds into collegiate competitors, Rozzell is familiar with the developmental process and when to focus on performance and when to focus on results, and how to keep it all in perspective. His group's "quiet success" is bringing more and more of the serious competitors from the area to Sport Fit Bowie and the ACE Junior Tennis Academy.
Julien Delaine was a top-ranked Junior and College Player. He has worked closely with Rozzell for 15 years at Washington Tennis Foundation, Mount Vernon College, Bethesda Sport and Health and now as a partner at Sport Fit Bowie. Julien's patience and diligence is a key factor in developing young talent and molding the young player as they progress through the levels. He also works closely with disadvantaged youth as a mentor and father figure.
Damiisa Robinson has recently joined the staff and has added youth and recent player experience to the equation. Damiisa is a former student of Rozzell's from the Washington Tennis Foundation, and former scholarship player at Clemson University. He attained an ATP world ranking in singles and was also a practice partner for Shenay Perry (top 50 in the world and Fed Cup Team member). Finding difficulty funding his efforts through sponsorships, he has decided to give back to the kids and pursue his music career.
Mac James (conducts Sport Fit Boot Camps) and Mark Shields (Asst. Fitness Director) are Sport Fit Bowie Certified Trainers that help with the fitness component of the Ace Academy. They incorporate sport-specific conditioning, along with agility and strength training, to enhance each player's performance.
Sport Fit's Director of Tennis, Kevin McClure also has a background working with top junior players. A former #1 player for the University of Richmond, Kevin has been a Director of Tennis or Head Pro for over 20 years. He was also the Head Pro for the Advanced Training Center (now refered to as the Competitive Training Centers - CTC) for Northern Virginia and Washington, D. C. Additionally, Kevin took his McLean High School Boys and Girls Teams to their first District Championships in recorded history! "I'm pleased to have someone of Rozzell's background and track record orchestrating the ACE Academy at Sport Fit Bowie", Mr. McClure said.
Sport Fit has junior development programs that range from beginners through advanced. The ACE Academy is where the strongest athletes, the best performers in their age group and the children of truly committed families go for their training (a strong consistent program requires a commitment of time and money). Players just getting started, developing more slowly or just interested in getting exposed to tennis will usually start in the regular Junior Program. Often, if a player excels, they will be offered an opportunity to join the ACE Academy program for advanced players.
This past year, most of the tournament players had excellent results. The following is a list of the players' accomplishments in 2006.
Name/AgeDivision, Ranking, Highlights
Naomi Waters
G10, #4 MD, Winner Two Tournaments, Severn Thanksgiving, Tennis Life Arlington
Krista Filiopoulos
G10, #25 MD, Finalist Chestnut Ridge
Vijay Golla/
B10, #14 MD, Winner Kingstown Junior, Winner Tennis Life Rockville, Winner Severn Valley
Elliott Tapscott/
B10, #42 MD, Third PlaceAnnapolis Open
Skylar Morton
G12,#2 Mata12, Finalist Championship #2 and #3
G14, #2 Mata 14, Winner Challenger #1 Girls 14's
National Ranking, #22 Nation, National Open 3rd Place Finish, #3 Doubles 12's, National Open Winner
Lauren Davis
G 12, #3 Mata 12's, WinnerChallenger#3,2ndChamp3, #25 Mata 14's, Winner Bob Wolf
National Ranking, #54 Nation
Maya Lewis
G 12, #42 Mata 12's, Winner Regency Sat Series
Adrianna Aldunate
G12, #109 Mata 12's
Evan Ward
B12, #4 Mata 12's, Winner Challenge #7 and 8, 4th Championship #4, Winner Boys 14's Tennis Life, College Park and Silver Spring
National Ranking/ B12, # 105 Nation
Kasey Countee
B12, #8 Mata 12's, Finalist Challenger # 7
National/ B12, # 103 Nation, Undefeated Zonal Singles
Aaron Gomez
B12, #11 Mata 12's, 4th Place Challenger #7
Brenson Terry
B12, # 22 Mata 12's, 3rd Place Maryland State
Kyle Hairston
B12, #42 Mata 12's, Finalist Bob Wolf
Eli Dupree
B12, #112 Mata 12's
Katelyn Stokes
G14, #19 Mata, 3rd Place Maryland State
Ama Osei
G14, #37 Mata, Challenger #8 3rd Place
Leah Garrison
G14, #46 Mata, Quarter Final Championship 3
Isabella Aldunate
G14, #47 Mata, Winner Kingstowne Open, Winner Tennis Life College Pk
Jerel Pleasant
B14, #23 Mata, Winner Mall Junior Open
Aandria Carr
G16, #10 Mata, Winner Peggy Dallam Open
Morgan Lewis
G16, #65 Mata, Finalists NASDAQ Jr Open #23
Taylor Hairston
B16, #13 Mata, 4th Challenger #7
John Collins
B 16, #19 Mata, Winner Annapolis Open L3, Winner Maryland State L3, Winner McDonough 18's L3
Eric Ward
B16, #74 Mata, Winner Potomac Open, Winner Tennis Life College Pk, Winner Independence Classic, Winner Tennis Life Silver Spring, Winner West Winds #10
Agnes Sibilski
G 18, #1 Mata, Winner Championship #1, #2, #3, Winner Challenger #1, #5, Winner Georgetown Prep
National Ranking, #36 Nation
Zach Nicholson, # 11 Mata, Mata Winner Challengers #5
For more info about the Sport Fit ACE Junior Tennis Academy, contact Rozzell LIghtfoot via e-mail.
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