01/28/2023
This is information from Scott Mackie about his trip to the National training center with Michael Farmer. It makes good reading.
"Mike Farmer and I went to Orlando for some tennis education and skill building. We were seeking specific areas of improvement plus a different inject then what our good local coaches are providing. We are both singles players, so the coaching and drill sessions were focused on that.
So: Kim Desdunes is the coordinator for such things at the Center. She did a yeoman's work scheduleing with coaches and drills sutiable to our level. For the semi private lessons we had Coaches Luis Zuleta, Patick Nagle, Eric Pribitkin and Mark Galina. For drills, we had Sean Bleau, Jenny Woyahn, and Gus Munoz. All provided meaningful instruction, and more importantly, actionable self coaching drills and "nuggets" to bring back. (I'm geeky enough to take attributable notes). Each semi-private lesson was 90 minutes or 2 hours, and each drill session was 90 minutes. So, Monday through Thursday we played for 3 hours, and Friday was a 2 hour coaching session. Drill sessions were limited to 8 players and 2 coaches were provided. The Singles Round Robin was 16 players with two coaches herding the cats and providing injects. Public math says 14 hours over 5 days. Maybe coulda done more, but at some risk to my knees and his back.
We arrived at MCO at 12 on Monday. The first coaching session was at 4:00, and the first drill session was at 7:30. We chose to go straight to the center which is 15 minutes from MCO and we wanted to 'splore the place and start feeling the vibe. Upon arrival we discovered there was an ITF women's 25K in progress. BONUS! Headliner was An Li. Afer our lesson, we found a local Applebee's for a light dinner, then back to the courts for the singles drills, the theme of which was serving and returning. Good takeaways and reminders. Day two schedule was janky, with a lesson in the morning, and 3.5-4.0 Match Play in the evening. We hung out and watche pro matches. Days three and four worked out perfectly; 90 minutes lesson, followed immediately with 90 minute drill session. On day five, we had flights out early afternoon, so we did a 2 hour AM coaching session. With better planning we could have done another hour if desired. There are shower facilities.
Lucky us, no rain, but some cooler temps with winds. We played on the very well maintained har-true courts. We asked to play on the red clay, but no dice.
The racquet bar is a very nice feature. We did a weight, balance and SW on our racquets. My buddies Pure Strikes were tight on weight and balance, but 9 points difference in SW, one 319 and the other 328, which is within manufacturing spec...but geez. Identical strings.
Vibe: the staff was courteous and engaging, and answered all our questions. It's all tennis/pickleball/paddle, all the time. Many aspiring young people with tennis bags running around.
Minor downers: the cafe is only open from 10 to 4. Would be nice to have a morning or evening cuppa available. There is an observation deck that has facilites for a snack bar which was not open. Perhaps it is when a big(er) event is planned. Yes, the facilty is on 2 mile final for 35R at MCO. Interesting to occasionally hear a wing tip vortice above your head or rustling the palm fronds.
We really enjoyed watching the pro's play. I've got a favorite to follow: Mackenna Jones. We happend upon her qually matches day's 1 and 2, in both of which she took her opposition apart. Hard, flat hitting. Geez, I wish I had half her backhand. She drew An Li (currently nunber 144, but has been as high as 44) in the first round and went three sets. NOTE: the quality difference was noticeable. An Li had another gear. Bad luck in the draw. Pro's also make crappy line calls, as there were no line judges/refs's for the qually's. Some racquets took some abuse, and colorful language sotto voce was noticed.
You can do your own homework on costs. Ours, exluding transport by air to MCO, were just over $1000 for housing, rental car, three bedroom condo, tennis, and some groceries. Incidental meals, souvies, cups of joe, etc, not included. Bring the fam and let them do Dismal World.
Scott"
