May 2007

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Monthly NewsletterVan Der Meer World Class Academy

Dennis Van der Meer

Pat Van der MeerCo-Director

Brian FleishmanDirector

Vince BilottaGeneral Manager

Jolene Watanabe-GiltzWTA Player/Coach

Justyn SchelverHead Professional

Shari FreyAdmissions Coordinator

Sue OsmersWorld Class Advisor

Pieter Swart Dragan BukumirovicStas RyzhovJo CahiRobert GatesCoaches

Russ CrandallShari FreyHouse parents

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CONGRATULATIONSVDM Tennis Academy Class of 2007!

Tufts University 2007, BA Political ScienceSemester abroad, Rome, Italy

Tufts Varsity Tennis Team Co-CaptainRanked 8 in US in doublesAcademic All-American HonorsDean’s List, 3.44 GPA

Wake Forest University 2007, Wake Forest Tennis Team all 4 yearsRanked as high as 35 NCAA

ANDREW HAMAR - Pontypool, S. WalesKYLYN DEARY - Jackson, MI

Heritage AcademyFinals Delaware State Mens Clay Court ChampionshipsFinals of VDM Jr. TournamentSenior Class Vice President

4.58 GPA, Honor Role Student, #3 in classS.T.A.A.R. Student of the Month for Hilton Head/BlufftonHonors College and Academic Achievement ScholarshipsSCHOLARSHIP TO MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Heritage Academy/Graduated from Sandwich High School#1 ranking in New England#23 in nation U/1854-1 career high school tennis record4.0 GPA

SCHOLARSHIP TO NOTRE DAME

Hilton Head Preparatory SchoolTop 20 U/18 PolandSmash Cup Doubles FinalsWon USTA Girls U/18, Augusta, GA

Education Achievement AwardCHOOSING BETWEEN COASTAL CAROLINA OR OLD DOMINION

Savannah Country Day School, Savannah, GATop 50 in New England U/18High School State Champion freshman yearState finals senior year

3.35 GPA, Headmasters List/Honors junior/senior yearSCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT TO MARIST COLLEGE

AYAKO IKEDA – Chiba, JapanTokyo Gakkan High School, Chiba, Japan/Postgrad semester Heritage Academy#16 ranking in Japan U/18R/16 Japanese National TournamentReturning to Japan before selecting

American university

JOHN STRATTON - Monroeville, NJ DAVID ANDERSON - Sandwich, MA

MAGDALENA EKERT - Gdansk, Poland

MICHAEL LEVENSON - Savannah, GA

We are proud of our 2007 high school and college graduates. Van Der Meer Academy stu-dents from all cooperating high schools have been very successful in their colleges and careers.

Our students have gone on to careers in medicine, teaching and finance. We have devel-oped several top 10 ATP and WTA touring professionals as well.

Former VDM Tennis Academy College Grads Welcome Walker and Ray

VDM Tennis welcomes Walker and Ray Sahag. Walker will take the reins as Academy Director, when Brian Fleish-

man returns to college coaching. *See attached page attached for full story.

Walker and Ray Sahag with Dennis and Pat Van der Meer

May 2007

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Monthly NewsletterVan Der Meer World Class Academy

VAN DER MEER TENNIS ACADEMY

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Van Der Meer TennisP.O. Box 5902

Hilton Head Island, SC 29938Phone: 1-800-845-6138 1-843-785-8388 Fax: 1-843-785-7032

academy@vdmtennis.comwww.vdmacademy.com

Begley Reaches National Open Finals

15 year old Elizabeth Begley stormed through the draw of the U/16 May National Open in Marietta, GA. Her first round against fellow Academy member Brooke Ferry was tough. This match gave her the momentum to

reach the finals where she fell to Grace Min. Great job, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth shows off her hardware to Dennis.

Ditty Set to Play French Open and Wimbledon Qualifying

Julie Ditty won her first main draw WTA match in Fez, Morocco. She defeated #65 Anastasia Rodionova in straight sets. In addition to beating the 4th seed, Julie and partner Nathalie Grandin made semis of doubles at the event. Julie will play the French Open qualifying

as well as Wimbledon.

Trainers CornerIt was a pleasure for me to work with the

students at Van Der Meer Tennis Academy this year. The kids made great strides with their fitness; their hard work has made their first steps quicker and made them stronger overall. We encourage

everyone to continue working over the summer to maintain the fitness level they worked all year to achieve. Best to all for a fun and healthy summer!

Mike DeMaria, BioNetics Sports Performance

May Tournament results:Julie DittyCloister Cup (Sea Islands, GA) 50K - W Singles Fez, Morocco WTA Event - SF Doubles Elizabeth BegleyMay National Open - F U/16 SinglesKatie HaughtMississippi Open - W U/18 Singles STA L3John StrattonBanana Open - W U/18Alex BahrBluffton Open - W U/16 Singles and DoublesAlrissa TobeBluffton Open - W U/16 SinglesDavid SteinebachBanana Open - W U/16 SinglesHaley ThompsonBanana Open - W U/14 SinglesCatherine CampbellBanana Open - W U/10 SinglesMaddy IvansBanana Open - Cons. W U/14 SinglesMarina ColketBanana Open - F U/14 SinglesJoey RyanBanana Open - SF U/18 Singles

Have a great summer everyone. See you at Sweet Briar or on the

courts at Hilton Head.

Mike DeMaria with VDM Players

Julie Ditty

May 2007

Van Der Meer Tennis Welcomes Walker and Ray Sahag

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

After an extensive interview process, VDM Academy announces the selection of Walker Smith Sahag as Academy Director. The departure of Brian Fleishman, who will to return to college coaching, gave us the opportunity to think carefully about our core values while choosing his replacement. We wish Brian and his family the best in their future, and thank him for his time with us. We welcome Walker to our staff, and know she’ll bring a cohesive renewal of excellence and training to staff and students.

Walker brings a wealth of experience with her back to Van Der Meer (she worked with us early in her career). While assisting then VDM staff member, Dr. Jim Loehr, in the courses that have become the gold standard of mental toughness training for sport, Walker found her calling. An opportunity later presented itself for her to work with Dr. Loehr at Bollettieri’s with students like Monica Seles, with whom she trav-eled to WTA events. Walker’s skills on court and in communication, administration and presentation made her successful on many levels.

Entrepreneurs, Walker and fellow teaching professional husband, Ray, understand the challenges of developing talent in America. In their home state of Mississippi they ran an outstanding junior develop-ment program, giving U.S. hopefuls Devin Britton and Keri Wong their base. While Ray will primarily work with our adult programming at the Tennis Center, he will be on hand to lend his expertise to the junior programs as well, and will be available for private lessons also. Both Walker and Ray clearly under-stand and embrace our core values and respect our traditions and the knowledge Dennis Van der Meer has amassed in his illustrious career. Walker will help to carry on our proven, time tested, successful approach to coaching, including the following key elements:

Quality practice and competitive opportunities at a fair priceUp to date coaching techniques and information with a solid sports-science baseDiverse yet compatible student base from all over the worldCamaraderie and positive support system for students and staff

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Dennis, Pat (on the way to the French Open) with Walker and Ray (left to right) say hey