SILVER SPRING, Md.,
Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- The United States Tennis Association (USTA), the national
governing body for the sport of tennis, and Discovery Education,
the leading provider of digital content and professional
development for K-12 classrooms, have teamed up to host the first
ever Careers Beyond the Court Virtual Field Trip to
inspire students to explore exciting career paths in the tennis
industry. The event, announced today, will premiere on
Thursday, September 14, 2017
at 1:00 p.m. ET. Careers
Beyond the Court will take students to the new USTA National
Campus in Orlando, Florida and the
2017 US Open, hosted at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center in New York, to expose
youth to experiences motivated by their passions and talents. As
part of the Virtual Field Trip, special guest host James Blake, USTA Foundation Chairman and former
world #4 tennis pro, along with US Open executives, will share
experiences and insider knowledge of the diverse and dynamic career
paths available in the sports industry.
"Discovery Education is proud to support USTA and their
longstanding commitment to enriching the lives of youth, while
encouraging the pursuit of their academic and talent-driven
ambitions," said Lori
McFarling, senior vice president and chief marketing
officer, Discovery Education. "We are excited to present
Careers Beyond the Court as a unique digital learning
initiative to inspire today's young people to explore longterm
career goals."
During the Virtual Field Trip, in an immersive classroom
environment, Careers Beyond the Court will provide students
with quality experiences, classroom activities and an insider's
view of the important roles needed in the sport of tennis, beyond
just professional play. The exclusive premiere event feature
dynamic digital resources and will introduce learners to:
- Tennis Pros: Kaitlin
Flaherty and Kyle LaCroix
will showcase the career of a tennis pro, and the many
responsibilities that this key role plays in the industry, from
teaching and coaching, to pro shop management, to marketing,
maintenance and more.
- Technology In Tennis: Sean
Prokes, USTA National campus raquet bar manager and
Joel Disbro, Wilson Sporting Goods
lead racquet technician, will give students a look inside a
technical career in tennis, racquet stringing. Sean and Joel
will both explain their roles in keeping the key piece of equipment
in the sport ready for player and will explain the STEM behind
their careers.
- Mental Conditioning and Performance Coaching: Players
need physical coaching, the right equipment, and the important
ingredient of mental conditioning and performance coaching.
Students will hear from Ed Tseng,
Rio Olympics performance coach, lecturer and author, who has
coached top players to increase their mental tenacity.
- Event Management and Operations: The Virtual Field Trip
will conclude with an exclusive look at careers within the US Open.
Students will meet Stacey Allaster,
USTA chief executive for professional tennis and David Brewer, US Open tournament director to
hear how their careers combine operations, event management,
marketing and more.
"The Careers Beyond the Court Virtual Field Trip activity
is exciting because it empowers students to consider ranging career
paths through immersive and interactive standards-based classroom
instruction," Rob Lamb,
Pattonville, Missouri School
District science teacher. "Virtual Field Trips open up a world
of exploration and opportunity for youth to experience, showing
students how to follow their dreams is more effective than telling
them to, and when it comes to inspiring the next generation of
thinkers and doers, every interaction counts."
Available at no cost to classrooms nationwide, Careers Beyond
the Court provides high school students, educators and families
engaging experiences that provide an all-access look into the many
career opportunities available in the tennis industry. The
program's online experience, includes: video vignettes,
accompanying career profiles, industry guides and a selection of
colleges with specific sports-related degree programs.
Educators and classrooms can join the conversation with a
LIVE Twitter chat using #TennisVFT to get questions answered
by @USTA, @DiscoveryEd and other featured participants. For
more information on the program or to access the site's free
resources, visit careersbeyondthecourt.com.
###
About The United States Tennis Association (USTA)
The
USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the
U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of
tennis at every level – from local communities to the highest level
of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more
than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing
the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended
annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Emirates
Airline US Open Series, linking seven summer tournaments to the US
Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events
throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed
Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA's philanthropic entity,
the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships and helps
under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities, and
supports wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and
their families. For more information on the USTA, log on to
usta.com, "like" the official Facebook page, facebook.com/usta, or
follow @usta on Twitter.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital
content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with
award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional
development, and the largest professional learning community of its
kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students,
Discovery Education's services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50
percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50
countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and
like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers,
and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase
academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery
Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one
nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of
education at DiscoveryEducation.com.
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SOURCE Discovery Education