Monday, February 14, 2005

High Performance Development

Wheelchair Tennis High Performance Strategic Plan

Tennis Canada is pleased to announce the creation of a long-term Strategic Plan for High Performance wheelchair tennis development. The plan is the result of High Performance Strategic Planning Meetings held in December 2004 which were attended by the High Performance Commitee and Tennis Canada Player Development staff members. The meetings focused on identifying the factors that contribute to success of leading wheelchair tennis nations, examining Canada’s strengths and limitations, and agreeing on the priorities to be addressed during the next quadrennial.

As a result, a clear strategic direction is set for the next quadrennial leading the the 2008 Paralympic Games. The mission of High Performance Development at Tennis Canada is ”to develop a world class high performance system capable of producing Grand Slam, Olympic and Paralympic champions.”

A two-pronged approach will be taken for high performance wheelchair tennis focusing on:
1. National Program
2. System Development

The goal for the National Program is “to develop a fully funded program that nurtures our best athletes and fosters a sense of pride and belonging.”

The goal for the System Development is “to develop a comprehensive Athlete Development Pathway for wheelchair tennis.”

Tennis Canada will focus on recruiting, identifying and nurturing talent. The priorities for the next quadrennial will include hiring a National Coach, increasing the number of international tours, increasing the number of training camps, improving the sanction level of the ITF tournaments in Canada, developing a recruitment and talent ID program, and enhancing the coaching development system.

The National Program structure is designed to meet these high performance goals and consists of the National Team, Development Team and Junior Team. The athletes who met the selection criteria and have been named to the National Team are:

Men: Colin McKeage, Yan Mathieu, Phil Rowe, Frank Peter, Claude Brunet, Christoph Trachsel, Jeff McBride (wild card)

Women: Yuka Chokyu, Helene Simard, Tami Saj

Quad: Sarah Hunter, Brian McPhate, Adrian Dieleman

The Development Team consists of a few selected athletes from across the country who have been identified by the High Performance Committee as having the potential to enhance the performance of the World Team Cup teams in the future. This assessment was based on a variety of factors including but not limited to profile, commitment, Canadian and international rankings, results, chronological age and tennis age. The Development Team members are:

Men: Lee Carter, Jamie Lauzon, Laurie Zalmanowitz, Joel Dembe, Jonathan Tremblay

2005 Touring Coaches

Tennis Canada is pleased to announce the Touring Coaches and Apprentice Touring Coaches for the 2005 season as follows:

Severine Tamborero (Touring Coach, Coach 4 certification)
Wayne Elderton (Touring Coach, Coach 4 certification)
Peter Smythe (Touring Coach, Coach 3 certification)
Gerard Siucho (Apprentice Touring Coach, Coach 2 certification)

Eastern and Western National Team Training Camps

Tennis Canada will be conducting and Eastern National Team Training Camp March 18-20 at the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, and the Western National Team Training Camp March 25-27 at the Grant Connell Tennis Centre in North Vancouver. National Team and Development Team athletes will be attending the intensive camps which will include on court technical and tactical training, physical training, mental training and nutrition.

World Team Cup

Final team selections for the 2005 World Team Cup to be held June 21-26 in the Netherlands will be made April 12. Canada will be fielding a men’s team, women’s team and quad team.

Canadians in the Top 200 on the International Scene

Here’s what our top Canadians are doing on the international scene as of January 31, 2005:

Men’s Open Singles:
#37 Colin McKeage (AB)
#47 Yan Mathieu (QC
#52 Phil Rowe (BC)
#65 Frank Peter (ON)
#78 Claude Brunet (QC)
#101 Christoph Trachsel (QC)
#146 Jerome Bouvier (BC)
#165 Jamie Lauzon (ON)
#166 Nissim Louis (QC)
#172 Jeff McBride (QC)
#187 Joel Dembe (ON)

Women’s Open Singles:
#18 Yuka Chokyu (BC)
#29 Helene Simard (QC)
#78 Tami Saj (BC)
#111 Annie Morrissette (QC)

Quad Open Singles:
#5 Sarah Hunter (BC)
#13 Brian McPhate (BC)
#35Adrian Dieleman (ON)

Community Tennis Development

Funding Available
Tennis Canada to supports the growth and development of the sport at the community level through the Participation Development Grant Program. The most recently approved grant was for a new program for under 21 players in Quebec City. If you have an initiative that falls into the new training program, introductory clinic, coach education, facility upgrade, or wheelchair promotion categories a grant may be available. Please contact Janet Petras at petras62@aol.com for an application form.

Competitive Structure

2004 Scotiabank Circuit Winners
The Scotiabank Canadian Circuit was a series of nine International Tennis Federation sanctioned NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour tournaments across Canada, and the National Championships. It is the premier wheelchair circuit in Canada and expanded from 2003 to include two new ITF sanctioned tournaments and the Nationals. The 2004 Circuit Champions were:

Men’s Open Singles
Champion: Colin McKeage
Finalist: Yan Mathieu
3rd: Claude Brunet, 4th: Frank Peter, 5th: Phil Rowe

Men’s Open Doubles
Champion: Yan Mathieu
Finalist: Phil Rowe
3rd: Colin McKeage

Women’s Open Singles
Champion: Yuka Chokyu
Finalist: Tami Saj
3rd: Yuka Chokyu

Women’s Open Doubles
Champions: Karin Suter-Erath & Chiyoko Ohmae

Quad Open Singles
Champion: Sarah Hunter
Finalist: Brian McPhate
3rd: Nick Taylor

Men’s A/B Singles
Champion: Jonathan Tremblay
Finalist: Mario Trudel
3rd: Denys Lapointe

Men’s A/B Doubles
Champions: Mario Trudel & Denys Lapointe

2005 Canadian Tournament Schedule

The 2005 Canadian Tournament Schedule is set and can be found on the Tennis Canada website. Please note two new events on the schedule including the World Masters Games in Alberta in July, and the Ontario Paralympic Championships in Ontario in June. To find out more please go to following site.

Technical Leadership

Wheelchair Tennis Instructor Certificate Course in ON and BC
Two Wheelchair Instructor Certificate Courses are currently scheduled for 2005. The first is February 19 at the Niagara Academy of Tennis in Ontario, and the second is September 15 at the Grant Connell Tennis Centre in BC. To register for the February course please go to www.ontwheelchairsports.org.

Resource Development

CWSA Annual Meeting-Halifax
Janet Petras attended the CWSA Annual Meeting in Halifax in early December. As part of these meetings she will made a presentation to all the Provincial Wheelchair Sport Association staff about the recent organizational changes at Tennis Canada, the new Strategic Plan, and funding opportunities.

Canadian Wheelchair Tennis Advisory Committee
The Canadian Wheelchair Tennis Advisory Comittee will be undergoing strutural changes this year. Details of the new structure will be distributed soon.