Our Mission

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Our Mission

At OSSA Tennis Academy, we are striving for human excellence for all of our athletes. Striving for human excellence is our focus-- not the titles.

Our Promise

Our promise to the athlete is that we will treat you and your tennis with respect. We are firm but fair in our coaching. Each player will be challenged and open communication between player and coach is essential for this partnership to have longevity.

We will not boast about resumes or past accomplishments because we do not believe that helps you today. We will set goals, as a team, for your competitive pathway that will be clearly defined and realistic to our vision and resources.

• Accountability and Responsibility: We hold each player accountable to show up and work each practice session. Your commitment to the game starts and ends with your ability to compartmentalize and prioritize your academics, training, and social lives. How much you improve is up to you.
• It is essential to understand and embrace the journey of building a junior champion-- and not rush the process. Patience is vital in tennis both on and off the court.
• One of the most important philosophies OSSA has for its players: We, as coaches, hope that our expectations for your potential as a player do not exceed your own expectations for yourself.

Sportsmanship

OSSA Tennis Academy prides itself with producing tennis champions who demonstrate self-control, integrity and solid character on the court. This has been the case with OSSA players for more than 25 years and we intend to continue that trend for the next 25 years.

The Mid-Atlantic Section recognizes one junior girl and one junior boy every year for good sportsmanship and representation of our section. In 2010, the award was renamed the Paul Goldstein USTA/Mid-Atlantic Sportsmanship Award and its first recipient was Spencer Liang and, the following year, Arnav Dhingra was awarded this prestigious honor. To date, Liang has been awarded 6 national sportsmanship awards and was also named the 2013 recipient of the Bill Talbert Hall of Fame Sportsmanship Award that was presented during inductions at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. These individuals and the principles each player represents are the true essence of OSSA Tennis Academy.

Code of Conduct Policy

1. First Offense: Warning = If a player steps out of what is considered acceptable behavior, he/she will be warned by a coach and he/she is expected to improve discipline immediately.
2. Second Offense: Suspension = The player will be excused from practice for the rest of the day. If such action is taken, the player is expected to leave the courts and not disrupt the rest of the players during clinics or lessons.
3. Third Offense: Indefinite Suspension and/or Expulsion = The player will be excused from practice for a week and his/her actions will be reviewed by coaches for a possible longer length suspension or expulsion from the program.

No refunds or credits will be given to any player who is suspended or expelled from the OSSA program.

Unacceptable behavior includes but is not limited to the following:

• Excessive screaming or verbal obscenity
• Verbal abuse of any coach, player, parent, spectator or club member
• Physical abuse of any coach, player, parent, spectator or club member
• Abuse of the club, court, racquets, balls or property belonging to the club

By registering for the OSSA program, it is understood that all players and parents adhere to the Code of Conduct policies, rules and regulations and the club's policies, rules and regulations.