Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada: 7 9 April Mexico and Brazil were promoted to World Group Play-offs which will be held from 22 24 September
Americas Group 2 2006:
Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica, Dominican Republic: Round 1: 10 12 Feb. Round II 7 9 April Finals: Dominican Republic: 22 24 September Colombia and Dominican Republic were promoted to Group 1 in 2007
Americas Groups 3 & 4:
Group 3: Bahamas, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago. El Salvador and Cuba were promoted to Group 2 in 2007
Group 4: Barbados, Bermuda, Panama, St. Lucia, US Virgin Islands. El Salvador: 12 18 June Barbados and Panama were promoted to Group 3 in 2007
Group 2 Pool A: Venezuela, Bolivia, Panama Pool B: Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Bermuda Dominican Republic: 17 20 April Venezuela and Dominican Republic were promoted to Americas Zone Group I in 2007
For further information on results, please click here.
Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas: Pre-Qualifying: Guatemala: 27 March 2 April Final Qualifying: Manzanillo, Mexico: 4 -7 May Mexico and USA qualified for the World Finals which will be held in Barcelona, Spain from 26 September to 1 October.
Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas: Pre- Qualifying: Guatemala: 27 March 2 April Trinidad & Tobago qualified for the Final qualifying round which was held in Manzanillo, Mexico from 4 - 7 May. Mexico and USA qualified for the World Finals which will be held in Barcelona, Spain from 26 September to 1 October.
World Junior Tennis Competition: Pre Qualifying (Boys & Girls): Panama: 20 26 March Bahamas girls qualified for the final qualifying round which was held in Manzanillo, Mexico from 4 - 7 May. Mexico and USA (boys) and Canada and USA (girls) qualified for the World Finals which will be held in Prostejov, Czech Republic from 7-12 August 2006.
For further information and results regarding the ITF Junior Team Competitions, please click here.
ITF Central America & Caribbean Junior Team to COSAT Circuit
Zoe Krohn (Aruba) was selected to participate in the 5 week tour of South America from 9 January 12 February. She played in the following events:
DATES
EVENT
9 15 January 16 22 January 23 29 January 30 Jan 5 Feb 6 12 February
Valencia, Venezuela Cali, Colombia Guayaquil, Ecuador Arequipa, Peru Cochabamba, Bolivia
For further information on the tour, please click here.
ITF African/COTECC 14 & Under Team to Europe
Based on her outstanding performance at the World Junior Tennis Regional Qualifying Competition, Kerrie Cartwright from Bahamas was selected to join the ITF African/COTECC 14 & Under Team to Europe which will tour in Europe from 7 July 12 August.
The schedule is as follows:
DATES
EVENT
7 - 9 July 10 - 15 July 17 - 22 July 24 - 29 July 31 July - 5 Aug 7 - 12 August
Training Camp, Paris, France BNP Paribas Cup, Stade Francais, Paris, France Windmill Cup Carl Gantois, Leeuwarden, Netherlands Le 13/14 des Hauts de Seine, Rueil-Malmaison, France 29 Rheinenergie Tennis Cup, Cologne, Germany Lapperre Young Champions Cup, Hasselt, Belgium
We wish her all the best.
For further information on the ITF Touring Team programme, please click here and for further information on the 14 & Under Teams tour, please click here.
ITF 14 & Under Caribbean Development Championships
The 14 & Under Caribbean Development Championships will take place in Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad) from 27 August 3 September 2006. Countries eligible to take part are: Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago, and US Virgin Islands. All the tournament information and entry forms have been sent to the invited nations by the COTECC office. If you have not received them, please let me know. Please make every effort to attend, and make this event the biggest in its history.
5 YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2007 - 2011 (No Plan No Assistance)
For us to accomplish the goals and/or vision we talk about, we must have a plan: a plan that can clearly identify where we are in our status of development and where we would like to be in the next 5 years. The ITF has drafted a 5 Year Development Template to assist nations in drafting their 5 Year Development Plan. The template was sent to all ITF Member Nations by the ITF President, Francesco Ricci Bitti, on 2nd May 2006. I would like to encourage all nations to start drafting your 5 Year Development Plan. If the ITF is to continue with assistance in 2007 you must have a 5 Year Development Plan (using the template), and it must be submitted by no later than 30th November 2006, to be in effect by 1 Jan 2007.
St. Vincent St. Vincent & the Grenadines Tennis Association organized an ITF/OS Level 1 Coaches Course in St. Vincent from 13 21 February 2006. Nineteen coaches participated in the course: four coaches were successful and two coaches had to retake the written exam. I would like to make special mention to the Physical Education Teachers who completed the 9 days, for their outstanding performance and dedication during the course.
Bahamas Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association also organized a successful ITF/OS Level 1 Coaches Course from 11 19 March 2006. Again nineteen coaches participated: eight coaches were successful and one coach has to retake one part of the practical. A special mention must go to Ceron Rolle who successfully completed the course at the age of 17 years: an outstanding performance!!
Dominica Dominica conducted a Mini Tennis Course (beginner Level 1) from 12 21 January. Twenty-eight participants took part in the course with five participants advancing onto a Level 1 Course.
Belize The Belize Tennis Association has also organized an ITF/OS Level 1 Coaches Course which will be held from 21 - 29 July 2006.
Jamaica Congratulations to Jamaica for organizing their own Coaches Certification Programme. Mr Douglas Burke, who has conducted Level 1 & 2 Coaches Course in the region, is using his experience by organizing and conducting the courses. A Pre Level 1 and Level 1 Courses are scheduled for the month of September in Kingston, St. Anns and St. James.
Play Tennis Course This course has not taken off as it should in the Caribbean. The course is ideal for School Teachers as an introduction to the STI Programme, and young aspiring coaches as a pre Level 1. I would like to encourage nations to explore this opportunity of having a Play Tennis Course. To know more, please click here.
ITF Regional Coaches Workshop The 4th ITF Central America and Caribbean Regional Coaches Workshop will be held in Panama from 10 16 September 2006. For further information, please click here.
There are presently 3 countries in the region who have successful Junior Tennis Initiative programmes (which encompasses both the School Tennis Initiative (STI) and the Performance Tennis Initiative (PTI)) and who are receiving ITF assistance for their programmes: Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti.
An update on the other countries in the region is as follows:
Barbados and Surinam will start from 1st July 2006.
Aruba has a similar programme call Road Tennis sponsored by the Government.
St. Vincent and Grenada have successful School Tennis Initiative (STI) programmes and are working on their follow-up programmes at present.
Bahamas, Bermuda and Guyana have shown interest and will put systems in place to start the JTI Programme.
The goal of the ITF is that all ITF Member Nations have a successful JTI programme. It is the foundation of tennis, hence the reason we must ensure that the foundation is solid. The outcome of having top players in the Caribbean is based on the foundation we build and the opportunities we create for them. I look forward to see a significant increase in participation and more follow-up programmes in 2006.
To learn more about the programme, please click here.
ITF EDP Programme The EDP Programme is to assist and encourage developing ITF member nations to have a JTI programme by providing free equipment to support the programme. In 2006, over 12 countries benefited from this programme in the Caribbean including: Aruba, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Surinam, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Dominica, Bahamas, St. Kitts & Nevis, and soon: Guyana, Bermuda, and Netherlands Antilles will benefit.
There is an urgent need for facilities for nations in the Caribbean. Some of the problems facing member nations from the Caribbean are as follows:
the facilities are in a state of disrepair or are high maintenance
there is a difficulty in finding land in order to construct a facility, and/or
a difficulty in receiving financial support to build.
On the other side other countries with national tennis centres do not make use of the facilities and appreciate the opportunity they have. I encourage every nation in the Caribbean to continue pursuing the goal of having your own national tennis centre.
To find out more information on facility grants, please click here.
Players: Rasid Winklaar of the Netherlands Antilles received a GSDF travel grant of US$800 to compete in the Costa Rica Bowl (G3), Panama Bowl (GA) and Gerdau Tennis Cup-Brazil (G1).
There are new ways to motivate players and to also encourage new players to the game. The introduction of the International Tennis Number (ITN) could be a great incentive for top and recreational players, and coaches can use the ITN in their business to increase tennis participation at their tennis club or centre. I am encouraging Federations to explore this area. A little more emphasis on the ITN, participation will increase at all levels. Please click here for more information.
