ONcourt Weekly Edition: July 09 – July 15
Niagara Academy in Beautiful Vineland
***In this article, ONcourt continues to profile Canada’s tennis academies. Niagara Academy was established as a tennis academy in 1997 by Ms. Lezlie Murch. It is now a sports academy currently offering programs in tennis, golf and football with academic programs from grade 4 to University Preparation. Students are given the personalized attention and support they need to train and achieve academic excellence and to develop the fundamentals of leadership, championship and true success.
Niagara Academy’s unique program has attracted students from around the world. The school, which runs year round, also offers a homestay family program which helps to ensure the well-being and happiness of each student. ***
ONcourt: Whose idea and vision was it to start the Niagara Academy of Tennis (NAT)?
Niagara Academy: Founder Lezlie Murch wanted to create a place in Ontario, where athletic and academic excellence could be combined. Lezlie had observed that families spent a lot of time driving between schools and tennis courts. Combining both on the same site is a great help to both parents and student athletes. At the same time, she also wanted to provide tennis training for her own son and ensure maximum usage of available court time during the daytime hours.
To read the full article, please click here.
Pierre Lamarche: “The Tabunshchyk Affair: The Bear Turns Sleuth”
***When I was on tour, I was so poor [reflection of my earnings], I spent my free time playing backgammon and reading. One of my favorite authors was John Le Carre, author of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”. Many of his books featured master spy George Smiley, who was both brilliant and unremarkable and who could unravel the greatest secrets. I dreamed of having similar intellectual skills to duplicate Smiley’s ability at unearthing the truth, when it was hidden under layers of deception. Here is my chance, finding the truth about “The Tabunshchyk Affair”, where it has been insinuated that a young player is misrepresenting her age as a way to benefit in competition.***
In the spring of 2008, I was approached by Kyrylo Tabunshchyk, who could have played the part of the bad Russian guy in a James Bond movie, except for his affable and infectious smile. He came to Burlington, on a trip from Edmonton to Ottawa, specifically to convince me to give him the opportunity to work with ACE Tennis. Kyrylo told me he had come to Canada in December 2002 with his wife Zoya, who had been a pretty good national level junior tennis player back in Ukraine, and their daughter Viktoriya, who was just about to turn 2. Kyrylo was lecturing Physics at Queens University when the family first came to Canada. In 2004, the Tabunshchyk’s applied for permanent Canadian resident status, when Vita was 3 ½ years old. Kyrylo, with a PhD in Physics, was a former swimming U14 champion of the Soviet Union and was doing research in Edmonton at the University of Alberta with Zoya, who was a doctor in Ukraine. He wanted to move to Burlington to provide his daughter Vita an opportunity to be in a serious training environment. She was seven years old at that time.
To read the full article, please click here.
Louis Cayer Does it Again!
***Louis Cayer is the LTA’s lead doubles coach, who works with a number of leading British doubles players, including Colin Fleming, Ken Skupski, Ross Hutchins and Sarah Borwell. He was with the Davis Cup Team, as a coach (1989-1993) and as captain (1994-2000) for 12 years and was also the Olympic Coach when the men’s doubles team of Daniel Nestor and Sébastien Lareau won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.***
This past weekend, Louis Cayer helped make British history. One of his students (Jonathan Marray) won the Wimbledon Men’s Doubles title – 1st Brit to do so in 75 years. When his student held up the trophy, it validated Cayer’s work as a premiere international coach. Beyond any doubt, he is one of the best and most productive coaches in the world. If you have ever seen him coach or been at one of his lectures, you appreciate his brilliance and expertise.
To read the full article, please click here.