Menlo-Atherton Tennis Syllabus

Boys/Girls Co-Coaches Carlos Aguilar
email CAguilar@cbnorcal.com or call 650 823-6906

Boys/Girls Co-Coach Tom Sorenson
email rsorenson2@aol.com or call 650 704-9795

Goals and Objectives

General Goals

To provide a positive environment in which each player can develop himself physically, emotionally and socially.
To enjoy the discipline, hard work and commitment it takes to become a team player.
To learn as much as possible about the sport of Tennis, and to encourage others to learn also.

Team Goals

To develop strong, positive team spirit and team pride.
To never give up on oneself or others.
To work together as a team and improve throughout the season.
To build community on and off the court.
To learn how to deal with challenges in a responsible and caring way.
To appreciate and learn from each person’s contribution to the team effort.
To experience victory or defeat and place both in their proper perspective.

Individual Goals

To set realistic personal goals at the beginning of the season and to strive to exceed them through discipline, commitment and competitiveness.
To set an example as a team member for the whole team and school.
To appreciate everyone’s contribution to the team, and to understand and accept each position’s specific role on the team and your own contribution as a starter or non-starter.
To accept and carry out responsibilities as a team player to the best of your ability.
To never give up, but rather to give the best effort possible everyday while enjoying the opportunity of being a member of the M-A Boys Tennis team.
To show respect for yourself and for others
To develop the necessary skills to become a strong team player.

Coaching Goals

To provide both on and off the court experiences to enable each player to grow and develop an understanding of loyalty, pride, integrity, commitment, and the pursuit of excellence within the scope of athletic participation.
To introduce and explain the sport of Tennis to the best of my ability, and communicate the rules and etiquette required to play the game safely.
To challenge each player to be the best that they can be on and off the court.
To clearly communicate the team rules and expectations to the student athletes and parents
To enjoy the process of developing good Tennis student athletes while instilling and upholding high standards of sportsmanship values.
To convey the importance of each student athletes contribution to the program.
To teach student athletes to accept appropriate criticism and guidance from coaches or teammates in a positive manner.
To never give up, and to lead by example.

Parental Goals

To understand and support the direction and philosophy of the coach(es) and Tennis program.
To help support the team through positive reinforcement of your son's efforts and participation, as well as that of other student athletes in the program.
To develop and demonstrate awareness that your son is part of a team, and that team goals take precedence over individual goals.
To assist the coach(es) in building team and family community through participation in and support of team events.

TEAM RULES

Please review the student handbook for appropriate on and off court conduct of a Menlo-Atherton athlete.
Each individual will have a tryout period. Every attempt will be made to accommodate all individuals who wish to play Tennis this year. The size and composition of the team is at the sole discretion of the coach(es), depending on how many individuals tryout.
The coach(es) recognize that student athletes sometimes have outside commitments; these situations MUST be brought to the coach(es) attention well in advance of the occurrence, with the exception of unforeseen emergencies, such as funerals. Outside commitments will be handled on a case by case basis.
All practices are mandatory throughout the entire season.
Practices begin promptly at 3pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and with Wednesdays practice beginning at 2pm. Practice times run from 90 minutes to 2 hours.
If a player misses practice the coach must receive written documentation explaining the reason for the absence. A signed note from the attending physician or parent must support any health-related absences.
If a student-athlete is experiencing academic difficulties she should make extra effort to receive tutoring before school or at lunch to avoid missing practice or game time. However, academics are a PRIORITY, and if no other options are possible and the situation is justified, the student should attend after school tutoring, and realize that playing time on the Tennis court may suffer.
Communication between and among coaches, student athletes and parents is essential.
Uniforms and other equipment issued by the school or the Tennis program must be maintained in proper condition.
Two tennis racquets, appropriate court shoes and attire are required to play. No jeans or long pants may be worn during practice or matches.
Disrepect will not be tolerated. Disrespectful behavior towards a coach, teammate, manager, official, another player or parent will result in a one-game suspension and a written letter of apology must be given to the parties involved.
Every player must maintain a GPA of 2.0 to continue team participation. Use your time wisely, and if you are having difficulty in class, see your teacher immediately.
Transportation: Parents and students will drive to the away games in their own cars. Cars driven by Parents must be filled before putting athletes in cars with student drivers. Student drivers should drive freshman or underclassmen and not their friends. The coach will make the carpool assignments. When the students register for the team, their parents indicate on the registration form whether or not the student has their permission to drive other student athletes, as well as whether or not the student has permission to be driven by another student athletes. A list of those athletes with and without permission will be abided by when arranging rides All transportation will meet Menlo-Atherton High School requirements.
Student athletes are expected to assist with equipment, exercises, warm-ups and drills as requested by the coach(es).
Student athletes are to strive toward mastery of the fundamental skills of Tennis by applying themselves during practices. The student athletes should take pride in their effort and performance as well as the team to which they belong and the school they represent. Team goals should take precedence over personal goals.
All student athletes must present completed consent and medical forms signed by their physician and parents before they will be allowed to play.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Any player using drugs, alcohol or tobacco products will face immediate suspension from the team. No infractions of any kind will be tolerated. For example, the first time a student is discovered using drugs or alcohol, that student will be suspended from any involvement with the team.

General Information

A schedule and links can be found at the M-A Tennis website: http://m-aboosters.org/sports/tennis/MA_Boys_Tennis.html . Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this.

Ending Notes

Please feel free to contact any of the coaches at any time with any questions or concerns

Tom & I look forward to working with both the student athlete and parents this season. Please feel free to contact either of us at any time with any questions or concerns.

Carlos Aguilar CAguilar@cbnorcal.com or call 650 823-6906
Tom Sorenson email rsorenson2@aol.com or call 650 704-9795