Shakopee has invited us up to play a scrimmage before the season starts.  Boy's and Girl's are invited, and this event is open to anyone that would like to play.  We need a few parents to drive, please sign up below if you can help out.  This event is going to be capped at 35 kids, so sign up soon.

This is the last week of Summer tennis, make the most of it!  Last weekend we completed the 2nd annual Mankato Tennis Invitational, the completed draws are posted below.  A great time was had by all.  Winners for this event where in 18U Girls: Anna White, 18U Boy's: Domonic Canella, 14U Boy's: Three way tie - Kameron Saiki, Ethan Swensen, and Brady Schmit, 14U Girls: Marissa Swensen.

On Tuesday of this week, one 18U team and one 14U team will be heading up to the University of Minnesota to try and qualify for the National Team Tennis Tournament in Suprise, AZ.  Those kids going are: Miki Mir, Bredan Loayza, Brady Schmit, Kameron Saiki, Kendra Allen, Julia Snelson, and Andrea Erdman in the 14U division and in the 18U division Charlie Snelson, Bill Leitch, Jacob Olson, EJ Scharmer, Sarah Miller, and Cassidy Miller.  Good Luck! 

Section Championship information:

Eric's cell phone number: 507-351-3173
Emily's cell phone number: 952-239-7455
Hannan's cell phone number: 507-720-7239

We are staying at the Bloomington Sheraton: 952-835-7800.

What to bring: Two days of tennis clothes, and two days of clothes to wear after tennis, the hotel has a swimming pool, so bring a suit if you wish.  Water jug and tennis related snacks.  Water, Gatorade, and tennis snacks will be available on site if you would like, so you will not have to bring too much.  Lunch will be provided by Chipolte the first day, and is available for purchase the second day from Erbert and Gerbert's.  You will need to bring money for supper on Tuesday and Wednesday night.  On Tuesday night, we may go to the Mall of America, go to a movie, or just go swimming at the hotel.  A few extra dollars for your night out may be a good idea.

Please give me a call with any questions you have.  Enjoy your last week of Summer Team Tennis.

Planning ahead... Girl's Pre-Season Camp (registration is open, space is limited, and normally does fill up early.  If you are interested in this camp, please sign up sooner rather than later.)  Boy's extended team tennis: information to follow, please check the website.  Extended team tennis will start on August 15th.  If you have questions on either of these things, please give me a call.

Please scroll left and right and up and down to see the complete draws. 

After two long days of play in the area championships, one 14U team with team members Mike Mir, Brady Schmidt, Brenden Loaza, Kameron Saiki, Kendra Allen, Julia Snelson, Andrea Erdman, and Coach Hannan and one 18U team with team members Bill Lietch, Sarah Miller, EJ Scharmer, Cassidy Miller, Jacob Olsen, and Charlie Snelson will be moving on to the University of Minnesota for the Section Championships on July 27 and 28.  If either of these teams win this event, we will receive a bid to the National Tournament in Suprise, AZ in November. Another bright spot for the Mankato kids was Ethan Swensen who won the sportsmanship award in the 14U division.  The award was voted on by the other 7 coaches in the 14U division.  Great job Ethan!  More information on leave times and lodging will come home with your child.  If you are interested in driving, or have other questions please contact Coach Weisser.

The 12U kids do not have to qualify for the Section Championships, and will play in the Twin Cities on July 29th.  We will be leaving at 6am from the West lot and be returning late in the day on the 29th.    Our team will play at least three duals, and have a lot of fun playing against kids from the tri-state area.  If you are interested in driving for this event, please indicate that on the form below.  ***12U Only*** Please fill out the form below for this event.  If you have any questions, please contact Coach Weisser.

Another fantastic day of tennis! Kids in Lakeville, Coon Rapids, and Apple Valley earned #1 seeds after pool play and will go into the championship rounds as the favorites.  Get some sleep, stay hydrated and set your alarm clocks. 

All 14U kids will be leaving Mankato West at 6:00 a.m.

Kids going to Coon Rapids will be driving up with Coach Krueger and Coach Hannan.
Kids going to Apple Valley will be driving up with Kelli Johnson, Connie Donnelly, Emily Weisser and Heather Jensen.

For 18U players that are driving up separately to the Twin Cities the start times are:

Coon Rapids 8:30 (be there at 7:45)
Apple Valley 8:00 (be there at 7:25)
Lakeville 8:30 (be there at 7:55)

If you have questions, please call, email or text.

Good luck tomorrow!

I have had a couple of emails about the Area Championships, so I decided to share some of the answers I gave.

What should we bring?

Generally kids will bring a small lunch/snacks to keep them going
through the day.  The Apple Valley site, says that they have limited
concession(s).  Too me that means chips, water, Gatorade, and no food.
They also told me that a number of fast food places are within one
mile of the tennis courts.  The other sites will likely have some of the same
options for food and water.

No matter what site you are at, we will stop for dinner on the way home,
and we will probably take a van load of kids to a fast food place for
lunch if they would like.

All of the play will be outside, so pack some
sunscreen, and probably a water jug.  It is going to be a long day of
tennis.  If I were sending my child, I would also send a few bucks for
a couple of meals, just in case.  Some parents will pack a small
cooler with a couple of meals worth of food, that is totally OK too.

When will we be home?

This is a tricky question, because it depends on the draw, and if and when
your child's team is eliminated.  We won't be playing after dark, and the last
match for most teams is around 4:00, that puts us being home between 6:00 and 10:00.
Once the day gets started, your child's coach will have a good idea of the end time.  Give
your child or your child's coach a call and they can give you a better idea, a good time
to call would be early afternoon.

Are the 14U teams spending the night?

No they are not.  This special treat is reserved for the 18U teams or until they make the Section Championships next week. :)

Last week was a fantastic week of tennis.  We survived the heat and had two very nice events.  On Tuesday, the Winona High School Summer tennis program brought 20 kids over to the East and West courts and we played a ton of tennis, all afternoon.  On Wednesday night, a 31 kids went up and played a group of kids from the Shakopee Summer tennis program.  Every player got at least three matches, and we where home before bedtime.  I would like to thank the parents that gave up an evening at home to help drive to Shakopee.  It was a great night of tennis.

This week is the capstone event of the Summer Tennis program in Mankato.  On Monday and Tuesday we will be heading to Apple Valley, Lakeville, and Coon Rapids to play in the USTA Area Championships.  Do well at this event and you will be on your way to the University of Minnesota for the section championships.  Win the section, and your team will take a road trip to Arizona for the National Championships.  Last year, I got to take a group of kids to Alabama for the National Championships, and it will be something that we all remember for a long time.

I have a spreadsheet below that lists your name, your team, and your driver to your respective sites.  Going to three different locations is a logistical nightmare, so please check this list over carefully.  If your name is missing from the list, please call me ASAP.  If your name is on the list, and you cannot go, please call me ASAP.   If you would like to switch cars, we can talk about it when we are about to leave.  A number of parents have agreed to drive to the tennis sites, without them, we would be waking up even earlier.  Thank you parents!

The 14U kids will be coming back on Monday night after the matches are completed, and returning the next day.  Your coach will let you know when you will be leaving on Tuesday morning.  For those of you that have not played in the Area Championships before, don't be nervous or scared.  This is a team event, a lot like the tournament you played at Mankato East at the end of June against Waseca and Austin.

Every year the 18U group uses this trip as a mid-summer getaway, and they will be spending the night on Monday.  We are staying at:

Holiday Inn Bloomington Airport
1201 W 94th Street
Bloomington, MN 55431

The telephone number is: 952-884-8211.  I will have my phone with me both days if you need to contact me.  My number is 507-351-3173.

Room assignments are listed on the spreadsheet as well.  If you have a major objection to your room assignment, please let me know.  We do have one empty room right now, so if anyone is interested in staying over night, please let me know.

Last week was a first for the team tennis program.  Typically we do not have enough instructors to continue Team Tennis during the MSHSL's mandated no coaches contact period.  This year, Tony, Heather, Emily and Hannan stepped it up and and ran drills short handed.  On Thursday, 45 kids got on a bus and played all afternoon in Sioux Falls.  They had a number of very good players,  and we competed very well, winning 36 matches and losing 46 matches.  Considering they had players from four big high schools, we did fantastic.  On a side note, the new Mayor of Sioux Falls, Mike Heauther thanked us for coming too!

On Tuesday Winona will be coming to town to play tennis from 10:30 - 4:00.  The 14U kids will play at the  Mankato West courts and the 18U kids will play in two shifts at the Mankato East courts.  The two shifts will be 10:30 - 12:30 and 12:30 - 2:30.  They will only be bringing 20 kids, we'll do our best to get everyone some match play.

On Wednesday night, Shakopee has invited us to come up and play some tennis.  This is limited to the first 24 kids who can play, preference will be given to those who can drive (or have parents drive).  We will be leaving Mankato West at 5:15 so we can warm up at 6:30 and begin play shortly after that.  Shakopee has 22 tennis courts within one mile of each other, so there will be no waiting around and we will get a lot of tennis in before dark.    This is open to 6 12U players as well, if you are the parent of a 12U player and would like to sign up, please let me know.

Looking forward to next week... Monday and Tuesday are the Area Championships.   We will be playing in Apple Valley, Lakeville, and Coon Rapids.  I will be asking kids for a final "Yes or No" this week.   Most of the 18U players choose to spend the night in the team hotel.  The suggested donation for the hotel is $35, we understand that this is an additional cost, and can work with you if this is a burden for you.  We start play early in the morning on Tuesday, and we have found that spending the night is not only fun, but leaves us refreshed for the next day's play.  If your child must be home on Monday night, please let us know, and we'll work with you on that.

In most cases, the 14U players drive up and back for the matches on Monday and Tuesday.  We will have a couple of vans to help with transportation, but if any parents would like to watch some tennis, we would love the help with rides.

I will be posting the sites, and the players going to each site on this page early next week.  Please check back if you are interested.  The area championships are the highlight of the Team Tennis Summer program, the competition is stiff, and the energy level is very high.  Finishing in the top one or two in your area, will earn you a trip to the section (tri-state) tournament at the University of Minnesota.  Finish first at the U of M, and your team will be on its way to the National Championships in Arizona.

I hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July weekend.  I just wanted
to quickly let you know about next week and give you a recap of last
week.

On Monday, 50 kids went to the Rochester Athletic Club to play tennis
indoors and for many of the kids, on clay!  We played for about 4
hours, and when we were done we swam in the pool, went on the
waterslide, and took full advantage of the beautiful facility they
have.

On Wednesday, 21 teams, and just under 200 kids participated in the
largest junior tennis tournament that anyone can remember happening in
Mankato.  We played matches at East, West, Betheny Lutheran College,
Ray Earlandson Park, and the Hilltop Park tennis courts.  That day,
over 375 individual matches were played by teams from Hutchinson,
Waseca, St. Peter, Northfield, Brandon, SD, and Austin.

This week, we will be having practice on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday at our normal times.  Coach Krueger, Coach Freddrickson and
myself will not be at the courts these three days because of the MSHSL
blackout period for high school coaches working with their athletes.
Tony, Heather, Emily and the rest of the staff will be there to run
practices if you are in town.

On Thursday, all of the 14U and 18U kids will be leaving for Sioux
Falls, to play Sioux Empire Fitness at the brand new Augustana College
tennis facility.  We will be leaving from the Mankato West tennis
courts at 9:00 a.m. sharp.  We will play until 5:00 or so and be back
in Mankato around 8:00 p.m.  If any parents are interested in driving,
please send me an email and I will give you the details.

Please keep checking www.TennisInMankato.com in case of bad weather, I
will be posting updates on the home page.

After a week and a half of practicing, its time to start talking about
our first week of matches.

If you have not been to the website to see the updated schedule,
please take a look at www.TennisInMankato.com.  We have had a couple
of changes.

The first addition is a trip to Rochester on Monday June 28th to play
at the Rochester Athletic Club.  We are leaving at 11 a.m. and
starting play at 1 p.m.  We should be done around 5 p.m. and back home
around 7 p.m.  If you are interested in driving, please email me back
with how many open seats you will have in your vehicle.  I will be
getting an estimated head count on Wednesday.

The second match this week is on June 30th.  It is our Mankato Junior
Team Tennis Tournament, with teams coming from Hutchinson, Northfield,
St. Peter, Brandon, SD, and Waseca.  Play will start at 10 a.m. at the
following locations:

12 and Under : We are hoping to have a couple 12 and under teams come
up from Brandon, SD.  We will play these matches at Mankato West.
14 and Under : Depending on the number of teams that register, the 14
and under with either be played at Bethany/Hilltop or at Mankato East
18 and Under : All of the 18 and under will play at Bethany/Hilltop.

If you have any questions please drop me a line or give me a call.

Eric

If you are interested in volunteering for this event, please email me
with the time of day that you are available.  Spots are limited and
are filling up fast! :)

USTA Jr. Team Tennis brings kids together in teams to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles against other teams. It promotes social skills and important values by fostering a spirit of cooperation and unity, as well as individual self-growth. Also, it’s a fun environment for kids in which they learn that succeeding is really more about how they play the game – win or lose.

If you love playing tennis—you’re going to love it even more as part of a team. One of the great things about the international events of Davis Cup and Fed Cup play is that those events take the decidedly individual sport of tennis and turn it into a team event. There’s a special kind of energy and excitement that results from that transformation. Even at the pro level, players like Andy Roddick, James Blake, the Williams sisters and the Bryan brothers get especially fired up when they’re part of a team effort. You’ve seen it—everyone does their best to make their teammates that much better. That’s what USTA Jr. Team Tennis is all about—building your game while building a team. It’s about showing your stuff—and sharing the fun.

A typical day will consist of plenty of drilling, and modified game play.  We have a fantastic staff of instructors that take kids in small groups, usually around five, and go over specific areas of the game to improve upon.  The instructors also jump in and do the drills and play the same matches as the students.  We have found that one of the quickest ways to improve your game is is see, play, and practice against the best competition.  We constantly attract top college players from the area to help with the program, and it is not rare to see some of best adults in the area stop by to play some doubles over their lunch hour.

This drilling, match play, and conditioning program ultimately leads into a heavy match schedule against other area teams.