What is A's and Aces?
A’s and Aces is an after-school program, a curriculum that uses the game of tennis to teach life skills and character development to New Orleans public school children. Students spend half of their time in the classroom and the other half on the tennis court with the coaches. In the classroom, kids learn the rules of tennis and score keeping as well as the overall discipline of being an athlete, including proper nutrition. Younger kids begin with red foam balls and the progress to the yellow tennis ball. Outside on the courts, 6 kids are assigned to each coach where they put their classroom knowledge into practice and practice applying the life skills in a competitive, athletic environment.
“Tennis is the hook,” explains co-founder David Schumacher. “We get them in through tennis because tennis is fun, but this is A’s and Aces; we’re working to promote literacy.”
The program has been extremely successful in helping the kids in New Orleans find a love of tennis and keep them disciplined in their school work.
The Louisiana Tennis Association Diversity Committee is proud to support this amazing initiative and program along with several others throughout the state!
Learn More
Among over 600 NJTL chapter organizations across the country, the United States Tennis Association honored A's & Aces as the National Junior Tennis & Learning "Chapter of the Year" for 2012-13,17, 21 and 2023! Tennis Industry magazine selected A's & Aces as NJTL "Chapter of the Year" again in 2017. For more information on this amazing organization please see below.
whm: Anna Monhartova Is Helping New Orleans Area Youth To A
By: James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
If your mind can conceive it, your heart can believe it then you will achieve it. This is a time-honored expression that we have heard over the years.
Achieving our goals and dreams gives us hope for better and brighter days ahead.
Anna Monhartova was exposed to the great game of tennis by her parents in her native country of Czechoslovakia. She was five years of age. Because of her budding talent and good coaching, she was selected to be on their national junior team when she was just thirteen years of age. Wanting to play tennis in America, she received a tennis scholarship to St. John’s University in New York where she was a stellar student-athlete. Tulane University in New Orleans was a transfer stop for her where she continued to excel both academically and athletically. David Schumacher, then the assistant women’s tennis coach and later the head coach, was instrumental in recruiting Anna.
She said, “I was attracted to the richness of the city of New Orleans and the reputation of Tulane University being one of the top schools in the country. I felt this was a good match for me.” Anna became a standout tennis player there and one of the premier players in Conference USA. While at Tulane University, she received the Conference USA (Women’s Tennis) Scholar Athlete of the Year, Tulane University Female Student-Athlete of the Year, as well as the Conference USA Women’s Tennis “Player of the Decade” Award. In 2007, she was inducted into the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame.
Anna Monhartova is quite humble and modest in talking about her many accolades and honors. She was more comfortable talking about her teams and their accomplishments as champions.
She is also an academic scholar having earned her Ph.D. from Tulane University. She is an adjunct lecturer in Tulane’s School of Architecture and a research fellow in the Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking. Anna is a proponent of the power of education, whether formal or informal, and how it can change lives. Anna said, “Education helps create a lasting foundation in your life. Once you have it, it is with you forever.”
Anna along with David Schumacher are the co-founders of A’s & Aces in New Orleans, in 2008 following hurricane Katrina. Its mission is to provide academic assistance, life skills, and tennis to New Orleans children and others who lack access to quality academic assistance and tennis.
She said, “Tennis is a game you can play well into your adult life. It provides you with both social and competitive opportunities. I would love to see more children, especially those from historically under-represented populations, to be able to play and benefit from this sport.”
A’s & Aces is a much talked about program in tennis circles. It has received awards and recognition at the state, sectional, and national levels. Its longevity as an NJTL has created many success stories. Students staying in the program have become more self-confident and self-assured. Because of A’s & Aces, many students have been able to compete in tournaments, receive scholarships to attend college, and enjoy tennis as a life-time sport.
A's & Aces has a longstanding partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORDC). NORDC’s Joe Brown Park Tennis Center and the Atkinson Stern Tennis Center are the A’s & Aces’ sites used for programming that is year-round.
Anna Monhartova is an extraordinary tennis ambassador. Her persona and tennis experiences have fostered an environment that is fun and fulfilling. Her innate ability to implement the objectives of A’s & Aces has drawn high praise from parents and teachers alike. One parent said, “Anna is a very giving person, and my child really enjoys going to practice. He talks constantly about the new friends that he has made.” A local teacher said, “My students are benefitting a great deal from the academic component of this program.”
Cheering for Anna is easy because of her tireless and intentional commitment to youth and the game of tennis. Her high levels of character and integrity exhibited every day have given students a chance to be great on and off the court.
James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Member, Black Tennis Hall of Fame
Former Chair, USTA Southern Diversity and Inclusion Committee
BHM: AJ Varnado
Our Mission
SOUTHERN
BHM: "AJ" Varnado known for teaching excellence
JAMES B. EWERS JR. ED.D. | February 22, 2024
Growing up in New Orleans was the building block that Alvin "AJ" Varnado, Jr., needed to launch a successful tennis career. He credits his mom for exposing him at an early age to the game of tennis.
Varnado said, “My mom put me in a sports-based youth program in 1982. I had the opportunity to play several sports at Delgado Community College. There was something about tennis that made me stick with it.”
With the stars aligned and good fortune on his side, he met Nehemiah Atkinson and Lloyd Dillon, Sr., at the Stern Tennis Center in New Orleans. As the history books confirm, both Atkinson and Dillon are legends in Louisiana and Southern tennis. Atkinson was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997.
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The chance to be tutored and mentored by these two master tennis teachers was a pivotal moment in his life. According to Varnado, called “AJ” by his family and friends, the Stern Tennis Center was “the place to be.”
He is the recipient of the 2023 Nehemiah Atkinson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award given by USTA Louisiana.
I suspect there were many promising junior players who started their tennis lessons at this iconic tennis facility. Now called the Atkinson Stern Tennis Center, it is one of the oldest public tennis centers in the country. I would not be surprised if it receives national honors in the future.
As I talked with Varnado about his tennis experiences, he said proudly that Atkinson soon had him playing singles and doubles with some of the older guys. He added, “Mr. A wanted me on the courts every day.”
I would opine playing against older competition strengthened his communication and prepared him for tournament play.
He is a graduate of Warren Easton High School, one of the premier high schools in the New Orleans area. He thinks that his tennis improved dramatically during his high school years.
Andre Agassi, Zina Garrison and MaliVai Washington were some of the players he watched as he was refining and defining his game. His time on the Futures Qualifiers Circuit improved his game and allowed him to have more tennis exposure.
Teaching the game of tennis has been a passion of his for over twenty years. Varnado contends his students have a high degree of trust in him. He believes that the trust factor is a key when developing technical and strategy components in a young person’s game.
“Tennis is both physical and cerebral. When the two mesh, it can lead to superior play on the court,” he explained.
Varnado held the position as assistant head pro at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Long Beach, Calif., beginning in the summer of 1998. There he was able to mold and shape the games of both juniors and adults. Years later, he was named the head tennis pro at the Lake Charles Racquet Club in Lake Charles, La. He also had the chance to work with Ronnie Walters, the Director of Tennis at the Graywood Golf and Racquet Club, also in Lake Charles.
His tutelage and teaching have come full circle. He is now the co-executive director and director of player development of A’s and Aces in New Orleans. A’s and Aces has received both Louisiana and USTA Southern recognition for its outstanding academic and tennis programming for youth. It is consistently one of the top NJTL programs in the country.
Varnado’s teaching prowess has also been a positive influence on Nathan Cox who has played the No. 1 and 2 singles for the men’s team at Vanderbilt University in 2022-23. He also works with Eadan Waters who is one of the top ranked junior girls in Louisiana, according to Tennis Recruiting for her graduating class of 2027.
He is well-respected and liked in tennis circles. As you observe him, you can readily see that he loves what he does. Simply put, tennis fits him like a hand in glove. AJ’s teaching has been given rave reviews by parents and students.
James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D. is a member of the Black Tennis Hall of Fame and a former chair of the USTA Southern Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Committee.
Grants and Scholarships
2023 Legacy & Believer Grants
The Believer Grant ($500) is available to high school freshman, sophomore, and junior status students who have excelled academically and participated extensively in an organized tennis program (such as USTA National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), USTA Junior Team Tennis, high school tennis, USTA High Performance or other such qualified programs as determined by the Scholarship Committee). Applicants must demonstrate tennis achievements and aspirations, as well as sportsmanship on and off the tennis court.
These grants will be awarded annually to two (2) players from Louisiana who demonstrate financial need. : https://form.jotform.com/232924626560155
Kimberly Matison Williams $500 Grant
Matison Kimberly Williams(New Orleans) $500 Grant (pictured below)
Baileigh McFadden $500 Grant (pictured below)
The Legacy Scholarship ($1,500) is available to high school seniors who have excelled academically, demonstrated achievements in leadership, and participated extensively in an organized tennis program or other such qualified programs as determined by the Scholarship Committee. Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and aspirations, as well as sportsmanship on and off the tennis court. These scholarships will be awarded annually to two (2) scholar-athletes from Louisiana.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
anna monhartova
anna monhartova
anna monhartova
Committee Co-Chairman
Josh dubois
anna monhartova
anna monhartova
Committee Co-Chairman
Alyssa Ross
anna monhartova
Allyne Barner
Allyne Barner
Allyne Barner
Allyne Barner
Reg Barner
Allyne Barner
Ben Robinson
Ben Robinson
Allyne Barner
Ben Robinson
Alvin Varnado
Alvertha penny
Alvertha penny
Alvertha penny
Alvertha penny
Alvertha penny
rhonda rubben
Alvertha penny
rhonda rubben
ellie merrick
yvonne bienvenu
rhonda rubben
yvonne bienvenu
yvonne bienvenu
yvonne bienvenu
staff liason
GRANTS
Additional Information
The USTA Southern Advocacy effort is aimed at connecting the passion of USTA members and the larger tennis community with the public policy needs of the communities in which they live. We know that tennis is a sport that can change lives and improve communities, and this website is just one of the tools USTA Southern has developed to help make that happen.
Keep in mind that these funds are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is a limited amount of dollars in this budget line item. Also, you will be required to submit an accountability report later this year showing how the funds were spent and the actual results achieved.
Southern Grants
Please check this site regularly as grants are posted as they are available.
chanda Rubin at the uspta world conference, New Orleans
Former World Number 6, Tennis Channel Commentator and Louisiana native, Chanda Rubin graciously took time to meet with junior player Amaya Freeman, her family, her coach Olu Akinniyi and Dr. Jim Ewers during the USPTA World Conference, recently held in New Orleans
Above left to right, Amaya Freeman, Chanda Rubin, Olu Akinniyi
player of the month
eadan waters
LTA Player of the Month February 2024
Player: Eadan Waters
Division: Girls 14 & U
City: New Orleans
Eadan Waters, a native of New Orleans, has been a top Louisiana player since she started competing in USTA tournaments. Already in the 10’s division, Eadan claimed the Southern Championships Doubles title and since then has been one of the highly rated players in the Southern section. Currently Eadan is the #1 player in Louisiana on Tennis Recruiting list for her graduating class of 2027. A great role-model for her peers, Eadan is an exceptional scholar-athlete and a tennis star to watch in Louisiana.
