Mike Hays, Author at BCC Tennis Academy

It’s More Than Tennis…
The “Courtship” of Nils and Annie Mueggenburg

It was May of 2011 and Annie Hays had just completed her freshman season at Edmond North High School. Steve Porter asked Annie if she would be willing to take some kids out after church and teach them to play tennis. That was the first outing of what would become known one day as The BCC Tennis Academy. Everyone had a great time and so they went again and again.

Tennis is a great sport. So many of our kids at the BCC Tennis Academy are learning how to work hard, how to push themselves, and how to strive to always improve their “game” on the court and off. Tennis is much, much more than working for the perfect forehand or backhand, tennis is also about relationships. Let me tell you a great story.

Annie didn’t come from a “tennis family.” As a little kid she played basketball and softball until her softball team was invited to play tennis each Friday afternoon throughout the summer by Tommy English, the former Head Pro at The Greens Country Club. At the end of the summer Tommy invited Annie to keep playing at The Greens. It didn’t take Annie long to fall in love with tennis. About one year later she made the decision to only play tennis.

The more Annie played the more she began to travel to tournaments all across the Missouri Valley and eventually the nation. She met girls from other cities who became warm-up partners, doubles partners, teammates on All-Star teams, and friends. Then, following her Freshman year in high school she met Rob Braver, who played at the University of Oklahoma. Rob introduced Annie to his daughter, Jessica, who also played tennis at the University of Oklahoma. Jessica has been a gift from God to Annie. She has been a big sister, hitting partner, counselor, and friend. Jessica heard from Annie about the kids at Britton Christian Church playing tennis and jumped right in, eventually becoming the Executive Director of the BCC Tennis Academy.

When it was time for Annie to graduate from high school in 2014, she had to make a choice as to which school she would choose to continue her tennis career. She decided to attend the University of Missouri-St. Louis. At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Annie met a young man named Nils Mueggenburg from Hamburg, Germany who was playing on the men’s tennis team. The “courtship” began. God used a tennis racquet to bring a young man from Hamburg, Germany and a young girl from Edmond, OK. together at UMSL. Annie and Nils would soon learn that it was a perfect “match.” Love blossomed on the court for Annie and Nils and the two of them were married on June 8, 2019 in Bend, Oregon.

It was such a blessing to have Nils and Annie Mueggenburg travel from Bend to Oklahoma City to spend the last day of the BCC Tennis Camp with all of the coaches and kids. Now that’s a honeymoon that only tennis players can appreciate! Annie was able to see kids that she has encouraged, coached, and inspired for the past seven years. She was also able to see how an invitation by Steve Porter to take a few kids out to play tennis has grown into something more than special for so many kids in Oklahoma City.

Tennis is a wonderful sport, one of the few lifetime sports, but the relationships that are forged and fostered on the court are much more meaningful and important than any point, match, or championship anybody has ever won. I will guarantee you that if you were to ask Annie, “What’s the greatest blessing that has come into your life because you played tennis?” She wouldn’t tell you about winning trophies, coming back from a set down to win the match, clinching the win for her team, or going to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division II Championships her senior year at UMSL. She would tell you about the relationships she’s made because of tennis through the years. I’m certain she’d end her story by telling you about the most important of those relationships…how she met her doubles partner for life, Nils. Congrats on your marriage Nils and Annie! The kids and coaches of the BCC Tennis Academy are so happy for you!

It’s More Than Tennis…
BCC Tennis Camp 2019

For four days kids filled the courts at The Betsy Braver Tennis Complex at Heritage Hall High School. Some learned how to hold a racquet for the very first time. Others worked on their serves, swing volleys, or how to manage a point in the midst of a tight match. There was lots of tennis being played by all of our kids, from our 5 year old Cubs to are most advanced players on court 1.

There was also much more than tennis taking place at the BCC Tennis Camp. Our coaches and Jessica Reineke, our Executive Director, were busy using tennis to teach kids about life and faith. What a great tool tennis can be in the hands of a coach who understands that as tough as mastering a new skill can be, or as tough as some matches can be, life is harder still. In tennis we need a great coach we are willing to listen and then lots of practice if we want to develop as tennis player. And so it is in life. We want to teach our players that they need to listen to the One who knows more about life than all of us combined. God’s Word, the Bible, is full of instruction about every aspect of life and is relevant and applicable for the young and old alike. It is so exciting to be able to use tennis as a tool to teach the most important lessons in life to our players.

We Teach More Than Tennis…
BCC Tennis Academy

BCC Tennis Camp ’19
Off and Running!

The rain came early, but the fun lasted all morning long as we kicked-off the 2019 BCC Tennis Camp at The Betsy Braver Tennis Complex at Heritage Hall High School. Sixty-five excited kids hit the courts with their coaches for three hours of fun and fundamentals.

This is our seventh year for the BCC Tennis Camp and each year is better than the year before! We have seasoned players like Tokara Henderson who, even though she is eleven years old, has participated in all seven camps. We also have lots of new players who are picking up a racquet for the very first time. Our youngest players are five years old and they are the cutest players on the court. Our oldest player is Parker Dillon, who has played with the BCC Tennis Academy for three years now and was a vital cog on the Crossings Christian Tennis team.

What makes our tennis camp so special are our coaches. Our BCC Tennis Academy coaching team of Jessica Reineke and her dad, Rob Braver, who both played at the University of Oklahoma, Brad Lund, Steve Porter, and Anna Browning, who played at Grand Canyon University, each work year round with our kids as well as at camp each summer. They are joined by former collegiate players and coaches like Vanessa Cunningham (Trinity University), John Hillis (University of Oklahoma), Annie Hays-Mueggenburg and her husband Nils, who both played at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Mark Johnson, who played at Arkansas and Oklahoma State before coaching the University of Oklahoma Women’s team, and Paul Lockwood, who played and coached at the University of Oklahoma. We are blessed to have Spencer Papa, NCAA Doubles National Champion, who now since he has finished his collegiate career is preparing to turn pro in the fall. Our kids are so blessed to learn from the best!

Let The Fun Begin!

The BCC Tennis Summer Camp begins this morning at 9 am The Betsy Braver Tennis Complex at Heritage Hall High School. Camp will take place each morning, Wednesday through Saturday from 9 until Noon. Saturday morning we will host all of our families at “Family Day.” Be sure to bring your camera and lots of pictures!

BCC Tennis Academy
Shining In The Classroom

We often hear of the hard work and dedication of our players on the court, but at the BCC Tennis Academy we stress being a champion in the classroom as well as on the court. Here’s some highlights from our student’s achievements in the classroom during the past year.

JOHN PAUL DILLON (11) – compiled a perfect 4.0 grade-point-average during his 5th grade school year at Crossings Christian School.

PARKER DILLON (15) – for the second consecutive school year, Parker was named to the 2018-19 Crossings Christian School Headmaster’s Honor Roll, which recognizes high school students who carry a 4.0 grade-point-average or higher at the conclusion of the academic year. Was honored as Outstanding Student of the Year for his Spanish class. Parker helped lead Crossings to a third-place finish in the 2019 OSSAA Speech & Debate Championships in Norman, and paired with a teammate to place 5th in Policy Debate.

KELLEN HAYS (9) – completed the 4th grade with all A’s during entire school year at Sequoyah Elementary in Edmond.

MACY HAYS (9) – received “Straight-A’s” throughout her 4th grade school year, and one was a one-of-two students to complete the Sequoyah Elementary Book Challenge.

TAYTUM JONES (10) – earned A’s across-the-board during his 4th grade school year at John Ross Elementary in Edmond. Taytum was also the 4th-grade boy’s recipient of the Perseverance Tag, and received distinguished honors and a perfect score for his presentation on the Fredrick Douglas Wax Museum.

ALMA MENDOZA (11) – in her first semester at Dove Science Academy in Oklahoma City, Alma recorded five A’s and an overall grade point average of 3.67 during her 5th grade spring semester.

HEAVENLY WASHINGTON (14) – maintained a heavy workload with three AP classes and maintained a 3.5 grade-point-average to complete her final year at Deer Creek Middle School and will enter Deer Creek High School as a freshman in 2019-20.

PLEASE NOTE: Selected elementary schools and/or school districts where BCCTA students attend do not implement a traditional letter-grading system (A, B, C…), thus students do not receive a numerical grade-point-average (4.0, 3.5…). Parents of BCCTA students retain the option of making public the academic & service honors their children may have received during the 2018-19 school year.

WE ARE PROUD OF ALL OUR BCCTA STUDENT’S HARD WORK INSIDE & OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM!

BCC Tennis Academy
Spring Awards

It was a busy spring for the 12U Barracudas and the 10U Cheetahs Team Tennis kids. Our tennis family came together at Britton Christian Church on Wednesday evening to celebrate and honor our kids who have worked so hard this spring. It was also an opportunity for our tennis families to express their appreciation for our coaches who give so much to help our kids both on the court and off.

First to be recognized were the 12U BCC Barracudas. All of the Barracudas started out on our 10U Cheetahs team just two years ago. If you combine their achievements as Cheetahs, and now as Barracudas, they are four time Team Tennis City Champions. They also won the 10U 2018 State Championship held last summer in Tulsa.

During the spring season the Barracudas posted a perfect 6-0 mark. They won 20 of 24 individual matches. Most impressive is that they won their age division by 44 games, the widest margin not only in Oklahoma City, but also in Tulsa. Even though they are playing in the 12U age group the Barracudas are made up of one 8 yr old, three 9 yr olds, one 10 yr old, two 11 yr olds, and one 12 yr old. The Barracudas are young, experienced, and looking forward to the summer Team Tennis season. Congratulations to Taytum Jones, our Captain, John Paul Dillon, Javier Vasquez, Kellen Hays, Macy Hays, Lloyd Washington, Kadence Williams, and Grey Dillon.

The “new look” BCC Cheetahs were also honored at our Awards Ceremony Wednesday evening. The Cheetahs entered the spring season with only one member of the team who had any Team Tennis experience. With little experience, but great desire the Cheetahs players worked hard to prepare for the season. The Cheetahs finished the spring season with a 5-1 record, they won 20 out of 25 matches played, went 174-80 in games played which is an astounding 68% winning percentage! After all of the numbers were tabulated the BCC Cheetahs captured the City Championship! We are so proud of these kids! Congratulations to Grey Dillon, Braver Reineke, Ivan Mendoza, Audrey Bohnstedt, Hayden Shriner, Alma Mendoza, Andrea Mendoza, and Yuri Mendoza!

Congrats Tokara!
Oklahoma All-Stars Win MV Championship

It was a huge weekend for Tokara Henderson and the Oklahoma All-Stars! The Missouri Valley 12 and 14 yr old Team Championships were held at the OKC Tennis Center in Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday. The top five players from Oklahoma, Iowa, Heart of America, St. Louis, and Kansas played over the two day event. After three rounds of play it came down to Oklahoma vs. St. Louis in the Finals…and Oklahoma came out on top!

It was the first time Tokara has played in a Valley Team Championship. It was a demanding schedule as Tokara played eight matches during the two day event. I asked Tokara if she was nervous going into the tournament. She said, “I was very nervous because I didn’t want to make mistakes and let my team down.” How about now that you played so well and your team won? Tokara said, “I had so much fun. I realized I can play with them, they made mistakes like I did, but everyone supported each other.”

Tokara had to switch gears quickly after the weekend so she can get ready to travel to Omaha, Nebraska this weekend to compete against the top 32 players in the Missouri Valley at the Supers. Good luck Tokara!

BCC Summer Tennis Camp!
Coming June 12-15

It has become the highlight of the year for the kids and coaches of the BCC Tennis Academy! Our BCC Summer Tennis Camp is just around the corner and we are so excited! We’ll meet at the Heritage Hall High School tennis courts from 9-Noon each day, beginning Wednesday, June 12 and will continuing each day through Saturday, June 15. The kids will have tons of fun and be coached by some of the best high school and college tennis players and coaches in the state. (more…)

Parker Dillon to Compete at High School State Championships

Freshman Parker Dillon will become the first player from the BCC Tennis Academy to compete in the OSSAA State High School Tennis Championships May 10-11 at the Oklahoma City Tennis Center. Dillon will represent Crossings Christian School in the Class 4A #1 Doubles Draw. The duo is projected to be a high seed and the talented Knights are projected as of the favorites to capture the school’s first-ever team State Championship.

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