Tennpar wrote:

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Couldn't resist a reply after reading the comments on this thread about the mediocre and feckless 2000 -2002 girls. My daughter has trained consistently and enthusiastically at a good local club for some 10 years. Not being big or successful at an early age meant she was below the LTA radar. She has continued to work hard combining school & tennis, winning national tournaments and successfully competing internationally.
Tom states that 'US college is a bane to gb tennis'. I don't see this - the LTA has no interest in the girls that will go to the US and provides little encouragement, support or international competition opportunities. Fortunately, US college provides a way to continue playing tennis and a great life experience.
Take a look at the 2019 National Age Group Programme Scholarships Selection Policy for 14+ which was emailed to parents last week (www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/play/player-pathway/national-age-group-programme-selection-policy-14-final-version.pdf). The only girls that satisfy the ranking requirements for inclusion in the 16-18y age group are Fran & Emma.
This means that very very few players have the opportunity to experience the'key stepping stone for junior players as they progress through the LTA Player Pathway .. designed to provide exceptional training, learning and international competition opportunities'.
I'm not saying that any players should feel entitled, but a small amount of positivity (or at least a lack of negativity) and encouragement could go a long way and cost very little.

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good for you and your daughter

never called or implied anything about players being feckless let clear that up right away never have here or anywear im not one who calls players part timers or tourists or spoilt little rich kids etc and have a record here and elsewear of standing against that

for every player whatever they acheve is great however far they go whatever they do i just glad they in tennis at all and take it wherever it go for them that they love tennis enough to keep it alive

i asked why we dont do so good as other countries that we shoud have reasonabel expectatians that we should measure up to~
you sort of back this up and provide some reason why this might be true
the lta pathways etc drawn to tight and to late in the game to encourage and create players that might have potential to be a world class tennis player
if their were better infrastructure and plans then we would have a systematic funnel from age 4+ for tennis sieveing out players in to levels with clear plan for all them at all levels
then the best ones would be refined more frequent to elite tennis suces and the group just below would be refined up to the next tier of itf level pro that might make something more and the level below the college types good players that can get nice education and so on down the piramid

but now there is no infrastructure and self interest and uselss plan that mean that player like your daughter just left behind and unsuport by anyone except parents - i dont mean lta gotta pay for everything just provide the tools resourses and structure to allow player to achieve themselfs in the maner of the give someone a fish/teach someone to fish saying

since the us college option has been so heavily pushed to uk players in last 10-15ish years that has been the ambitian  of a lot of players to use tennis as a stone to get scolarship and education paid for and nothing wrong with that but it means that a lot of people now in tennis have no ambitian to tennis long term or as a pro carer the contingennsy to have a fall back position in case tennis dont work out is fair enough but it being sold becasue we dont have good paths early enough and with the resource to develop great potensial players ands the lta still let all those players fall through cracks

no matter how hard they players they try themselves their something missing in the totalite of tennis in the uk that means we dont graduate our pipeline through to top levels in the same proportians that do other peer nations

for 20-30-40-50 years now we dont never gotten those systems and so players like your daughter look for next best option beyond being the wimbledon champion they posibly wanted to be original and that context then college play tennis and get paid education just make sense

but we should have given them the means the chance long before that

over the years because theer stil no system plan resource then people have started aiming to college from the very get go they know that tennis as a carer fails in uk becasue of all the things that arent there and the lack of oportunity to sucede but if you can get to a certain level you can set yourself up or a good life prospect no one begruge that

that future just wont be in tennis#

why every cycle dont we get more through? it not a reflection on the effort of the player it systemic
if you cant question the demonstrable failing system for want of ofending the players let down by that failed system then we truly lost and alwasy will be

All the very best to Tennpar's daughter. The work that goes in to following that tennis dream and the support from family is much to be admired as with so many out there are striving to be all they can be.

However, as Tom indicated, Tennpar has picked up wrongly on the angle that Tom and some others like myself have been coming from. It is most certainly not the players we are getting at but the culture, the system, the infrastructure and the ever changing plans etc that we are on about here and have been at other times. It's the system and support to enable us to have more numbers in say the 2000 to 2002 girls group.

Criticism of players may be valid for seniors seen to have made wrong choices in their careers generally or not producing what they are capable of in matches, and even that is arguable at times, but we are a discussion forum. However, not of young players, individually or in groups, who we don't know as individuals or their circumstances, but in general are no doubt striving to be all they can be. But comment and/or criticism of the system and support for these players and linked to that our position in the world is very valid and that is what we have here.

And in her very interesting post Tennpar then goes on to reinforce these concerns re the LTA. Such as if you are not in the "in crowd" very early in due to say starting a bit later, being smaller etc it is evidently very difficult to break in. And thanks for the "pathway" email link which on the face of it does seem another muddled unhelpful plan, which I will take time to read.

My knowledge of the US College system is limited and it is no doubt a good choice for some but just maybe a bit unfortunate if some feel it has been their only choice because of the LTA's support inadequacies. The landscape is of course due to change next year with the transition tour and much will unfold as to how that effects players' choices and the LTA's support or otherwise of these beyond the current elite and these they see as the future elite.

Again all the best Tennpar and all the best to your daughter.