Total Tennis Training Camp

During my many weeks at the Total Tennis Training camp, I received professional teaching, intense training, and individual attention. Through being at camp, my tennis game has grown exponentially. However, the staff at T3 were not solely concerned with my strokes and ball striking skills, they invested in me as a person as well as a tennis player.

Claire Dillman,
2008 SC State Junior Hard Court Champion

Meet The Coaches

These are some of the Coaches that will Serve as Teachers at the Total Tennis Training Camp this Summer 2010

Paul Thomson
Head Tennis Coach,
Brevard College

During Coach Thomson's fourth year as the Brevard Tennis Head Coach, the men's team finished the 2009 season 15-5 and ranked 16th in the SE region of Division II. In their just second year in the South Atlantic Conference, the women's tennis tornados made the finals of the conference tournament. Five of the BC women players had 13 or more singles wins on the year. For their success, Coach Thomson was named the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Women's Coach of the year.

Thomson is a Graduate of Samford University where he earned his B.S. in history and political science. Thomson continued his education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham earning his Class B teaching certification in secondary education specializing in social sciences. He came to Brevard from his alma mater Samford University where he served as the assistant men's and women's coach.

Coach Kriese says: "I certainly have enjoyed my relationship with Coach Thomson and his team at Brevard. He is a great coach and has a gift of being able to instill motivation into those that he works with. He is one of the best young coaches around. We are fortunate to have him with us this summer."

Ed Dickson
Former Head Tennis Coach,
Purdue University,
Univeristy of West Virginia &
Austin Peay State University

For 2010, we would like to welcome back veteran coach Ed Dickson, who has more than 20 years of experience as a Division I head tennis coach. He was a teacher at the Total Tennis Training Camp 25 years ago.

Dickson began his coaching career in 1974 as the manager and head pro at the Bellefontaine Racquet Club in his hometown of Bellefontaine, Ohio. In December 1975, Dickson accepted an instructor's position at the renowned Harry Hopman International Tennis Camp in St. Petersburg, Fla.

From there, he was an assistant coach at Clemson. Alongside Chuck Kriese, Dickson helped lead the men's team to a first-place finish at the 1983 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.

Dickson accepted his first head coaching opportunity at Purdue, where he produced seven first-team All-Big 10 selections in 11 seasons. His 1984 men's team had the best record in Purdue history.

Dickson then moved on as the head coach at West Virginia where he served eight seasons, and led the Mountaineers to two top-four Big East finishes.

Later, Dickson served five years as the head men's and women's coach at Austin Peay State University.

Coach Kriese says: I am so privileged to have begun my coaching career side-by-side of Ed Dickson. We both worked for Harry Hopman and became similarly inspired to coach and to teach. Ed helped me get off of the ground at Clemson, as we coached two ACC championship teams together. He went on to Purdue, West Virginia and Austin Peay. He's a great man and a great tennis teaching mind. I am looking forward to reuniting with him in our tennis teaching work.

Cheng
Alvin Cheng
Head Tennis Coach,
Coker College

Alvin Cheng came to Coker College from Eastern Kentucky University where he was the assistant Men's and Women's Tennis coach for the Colonels.

Cheng is originally from Malaysia and was ranked in the top-three juniors in Malaysia in 1998 and 1999 and represented his country at the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia in 1999. He was a four-year letter-winner at EKU and qualified for the NCAA Regionals at the University of Georgia in 2000. Cheng, a two-time team MVP and team captain, also won the Ohio Valley Conference Sportsman of the Year in 2002.

After graduation, Cheng remained at Eastern Kentucky to earn his M.S. in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Administration with a 4.0 GPA.

Coach Kriese says: "There are few finer young coaches in America than Alvin Cheng. His knowledge is great and his enthusiasm to give to others is unmatched. He knows so very much about the game of tennis, but he knows much more about people and how to get them to give their hearts to whatever they do. The youngsters will certainly benefit from the time that they get to spend with Coach Cheng."

Larry Hubbard
Former Head Tennis Coach,
Liberty University &
University of North Carolina at Asheville

The veteran coach, Larry Hubbard, came to the UNC-Asheville after working at Liberty in a variety of roles for more than six years. He first joined the school as the program's head men's tennis coach in 1999 and then created the first women's tennis program at Liberty the following year. In addition to coaching tennis, Hubbard was the school's Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Academic Services and Compliance the past five years.

He is a certified USPTR and USPTA Tennis Professional. Hubbard's tennis experience includes the formation of the Southwest USTA Junior Area Training Center for rising junior players throughout Southwest Virginia and West Virginia. He served as the organization's administrator and player development coach.

Hubbard received his Masters Degree in Educational Foundations in 1978 and a second Masters Degree Physical Education in 1980 from the University of Delaware.
Larry Hubbard

Coach Kriese says: "I have been fortunate in having Coach Larry Hubbard as a friend and fellow coach over the past several years. He has so very much knowledge in what it really takes to be successful at any profession. He has coached, been an athletic director, and has spent most of his life working with young people. He has great expertise in helping youngsters answer a lot of questions about the road that they will need to take to play college tennis and to prepare in the best way for that possibility. He does fantastic seminars for our camps. Whether or not they plan on becoming a college tennis player, all young people benefit from being around him."

Steve Cook
Head Tennis Coach,
Converse College

This is Steve Cook's second summer to work with Coach Kriese's Total Tennis Training Camp. Cook became the head coach at Converse College in 2007.
Beforehand he served as head boys tennis coach at Greenville High School, During those six years Cook's team won five conference championships, two upper-state championships and two team state-finalist finishes. He was named Region Coach of the Year five times.

A member of the United States Professional Tennis Association, Cook has served as director of tennis at several clubs and resorts. He has worked with numerous state and nationally ranked junior and college players.

Cook played varsity tennis at The University of West Florida where he earned a bachelor's degree in marketing. He played team tennis in Munich, Germany in 1983 and is a former South Carolina State Doubles Champion.

Coach Kriese says: We are very happy to have Steve here for another summer. His calm demeanor and thoughtful approach to teaching are just the right mix for what the children need during camp sessions. He sees the small things in technical and tactical areas that other coaches might overlook. He is a wonderful man and coach, and he brings alot to the instructional court with his knowledge of people and the game.

Dan Vonk
Head Tennis Coach,
Camden County High School

Dan Vonk has been the head tennis coach at Camden County High School in Kingsland, Georgia, since 1996. Recently, Coach Vonk was honored to be named the 2008 Professional Tennis Registry's Jim Verdieck High School Coach of the Year, the 2007 USTA National Starfish Award, the 2007 USTA Georgia High School Coach of the Year, and the 2007 RSI (Racquet Sports Industry) Grassroots Champion of Tennis. He is a is a certified PTR (Professional Tennis Registry) Tennis Teaching Professional.

Coach Kriese says: I was very lucky to have met coach Vonk through the PTR and to have secured his time to work at our Total Tennis Training Camps. He has the gift of being able to inspire young people to reach for their limits. I've learned much from him as well as he has spent hundreds of hours teaching and coaching tennis players. He is a wonderful person to have working at our camp.

Most Other Teachers at the Total Tennis Training Camp are PTR Certified Instructors.