Charlee Goodman

Charlee wants to be an architect when she grows up; first of all, she wants to attend the University of Pennsylvania. Lofty ambitions for a young lady who hasn’t even graduated from the 8th grade yet! Once you get to know Charlee a little better, you might not want to bet against her. 

“Signing Charlee up for MTEF is one of the best things that has happened to her,” stated Charlee’s mom Vanessa Goodman.  “The First Serve program has improved Charlee’s self-esteem, confidence, and social skills, not to mention how much her tennis has improved.”

Charlee is in her second year of MTEF’s nationally ranked First Serve Program. It is an invitation-only, year-round, three-year program that emphasizes school grades, life and leadership skills development and tennis excellence. 

One of two core programs is the National Student Athlete Competition, a competition that rewards participants for school grades in four core subjects – math, science, history, and english.  In addition, players are given points for playing sanctioned tournaments and Jr. Team Tennis.  Bonus points are given to all players who win a tournament.  Since entering the student-athlete competition in the fall of 2008, Charlee has posted 28 straight A’s in the four core subjects.

In the 2008-2009 school year, Charlee finished in third place in the girls’ middle school division with a total of 6,476 points, only two points behind the second place finisher, Claudia Enriquez of New Mexico.  For her efforts, Charlee received a $1,000 college scholarship and a First Serve bronze medal which was presented to her at the 2009 MTEF Tennis Ball by First Serve CEO, Trey Buchholz. 

Of the 6,476 points Charlee received, 6,400 were from grades, 46 from study hall bonus points, and only 30 points were from playing tennis tournaments.  “When Charlee joined First Serve back in 2008 MTEF wasn’t structured to develop tournament tennis players, but the First Serve student athlete competition really forced us to take a good look at our programming and it was one of the determining factors in the implementation of a high performance program for tournament players, stated MTEF’s executive director, Jay Massart.

Not one to sit on her laurels, Charlee entered this year’s student athlete competition determined to beat her overall point total from the previous year.  “I knew I had to keep up the straight A’s and improve my tennis game by playing more and entering more tournaments”, stated Charlee.  “For me, improving my tennis has been harder than getting the A’s.  School comes easier to me than sports, especially competitive sports.”

As of April 6th Charlee is in first place with 3,350 points, 20 points ahead of the second place competitor, Monica Elizondo of Houston, Texas.  Of her 3,350 points, 3,200 are from eight A’s and 150 from tennis tournaments and Jr. Team Tennis matches.  To date, Charlee has played 15 competitions, twelve more than her total last year.

I would definitely recommend MTEF’s First Serve program to other parents of middle school children,” commented Vanessa Goodman.  “The MTEF staff has done a great job of setting challenging, but attainable goals and they have worked hard to make sure she stays focused on each goal weekly. The First Serve Academic & Tennis plan that was developed for Charlee has made all the difference in how she approaches her school work and tennis competitions.”

Charlee was been accepted to Rufus King High School in the fall, where she plans on trying out for the tennis team.  In her spare time, Charlee enjoys reading, having just finished J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye.  In order to improve her physical fitness, Charlee is working out with a trainer who is helping to improve her movement and fitness level.  While she doesn’t love working out, it is beginning to get easier and more fun.  “At first it wasn’t fun, but now I’m starting to enjoy it,” exclaimed Charlee. 

To follow Charlee in the First Serve student athlete competition log on to www.firstserve.org.  and click on the student athlete competition.