Elle Thomas

Elle Thomas is a 17yrs old junior at St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans and she is from Harahan, Louisiana. Elle began playing tennis with family and with my school at 8 years old. Outside of tennis she enjoys working out, hanging out with her sisters, and getting coffee with her friends.

One of the most heartwarming experiences for Elle was handing out the trophies at the end of their sessions and seeing how proud they were of themselves and each other. Helping them achieve their goals and teaching them the value of having fun through athletic activity is incredibly fulfilling.

Teddy tennis is not just about learning how to hit a tennis ball, it’s about having fun with friends, listening to music, and playing various games. The kids have a blast! Elle enjoys being able to teach the kids how to implement sportsmanship and competitiveness into the fun games that we play, seeing how accomplished they feel when they successfully achieve their next goal, whether it is rolling the ball to the net or hitting it over.

Ella Brown

Meet 18 years old Ella Brown, she is from New Orleans. Ella started playing tennis when she was 6 years old when she started taking lessons at a local country club. Ella is a senior at St. Mary’s Dominican High School and she will be attending LSU in the fall and plan to major in Communication Disorders in hopes of becoming a doctor of audiology in the future. She enjoys going on walks, going to coffee shops with her friends, and early mornings!

Ella says” It’s so heartwarming to see the children so excited to learn new skills. My favorite is when they are first introduced to a tennis racket and have their first shots at hitting a ball. They instantly gain a sense of self-confidence after hitting just one or two balls, and they never want to stop!” Teddy Tennis allows the children to engage in all activities through music and relatable teddy bear characters. We usually focus on a different Teddy character each class which gets the kids excited to learn about them. Relating the characters’ interests and abilities to the children’s helps them to in turn relate to one another and build happy relationships with their peers.”

What she enjoys the most about coaching Teddy Tennis to preschoolers is seeing how much they truly grow over a few weeks. They not only progress in their coordination and athletic ability, but they are also able to communicate and problem-solve with so much more confidence and joy.

Madeleine Thorne

Meet Madeleine Thorne, our vibrant tennis coach hailing from the lively city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Introduced to tennis at the age of twelve through her elementary school, Madeleine discovered a passion that would shape her journey.

Currently attending Mount Carmel Academy for high school, Madeleine has her sights set on Ole Miss in 2024, where she plans to pursue a major in nursing. Beyond the tennis court, she finds joy in going for runs, cherishing moments with family and friends, immersing herself in country music, and basking in the beach’s serenity.

Madeleine’s coaching style is as dynamic as her personality. She loves engaging with the young players, fondly known as the cub cadets, introducing them to a new bear each week. As a keen communicator, she makes sure to connect with her cadets, discussing their day and playing entertaining guessing games to unveil each bear’s favorites.

With a heart for both tennis and nurturing the excitement of young learners, Madeleine embodies the spirit of our coaching team, making tennis a delightful and educational experience for the cub cadets.

Yasmine Alaa

Yasmine`s tennis journey started at the age of 6. she did gymnastics and ballet for a few years before her older sister inspired her to commit to tennis. Her mother admired the sport before us and it was slowly passed on to my sister and I. Yasmine is a 28 years old Medical Research Specialist, she earned a MSc. in Immunology and Microbiology in 2020 and BSc.in Biological Sciences with a Chemistry minor in 2017.  Yasmine`s hobbies outside of tennis and academics include photography, fashion styling, cooking, and drawing. Yasmine says It’s very rewarding to see the kids reciprocate the love for the sport at such a young age; that is shown when they enthusiastically ask to get another go at the forehand swing or when they engage in the minky circle before each game. But the most heartwarming experience in the fall course was the little boy being so excited about receiving the end of course trophy and that he couldn’t wait to show it to his mom. Similar to adults, preschoolers each have unique personalities. So, what is great about teddy tennis is that it stimulates the different interests/personalities of kids like using visuals to illustrate each game, music, active play, hand-to-eye coordination, and enhancing application skills. Yasmine loves working with children and enjoys witnessing them develop self confidence as they learn new skills!

Tess Meligy

Tess Sweatman Meligy teaches early childhood at Trinity episcopal school for the past 8 years. She grew up in Thibodaux, Louisiana, then moved to New Orleans to attend University of New Orleans with a swimming scholarship. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Health Studies. She worked with children and fitness at Elmwood fitness center for a couple of years then moved to teaching PE at Lake Castle private school. She loved working with the younger children which led her to teaching early childhood. She takes true joy in watching young children grow and learn. She feels very grateful to be in the education field. She loves being a mom to her two beautiful children.
“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”

Hossam Meligy

Hossam Meligy is the co-founder of MacAlester Meligy Tennis Academy (MMTA) in Kenner, LA. He is originally from Egypt and moved to New Orleans on a tennis scholarship at the University of New Orleans. He was an ITA All-American and was ranked # 4 in the country in doubles. Hossam led the varsity tennis team at Isidore Newman School as a Head Coach to win 6 State Championships. He has over 10 years of coaching experience. He’s PTR and USPTA certified. Hossam is a civil engineering graduate and earned his masters in Engineering Management from the University of New Orleans. When he’s not working he loves to spend time with his two children. He and his 3 year old daughter love to play, what she calls, “racket and ball.”

Bailey Morrison

This is Bailey Morrison, 32 years old teacher from New Orleans. She currently teaches at Les Enfants at Trinity year 2.

Bailey started playing tennis when she was little when both of her my mom and brother played tennis. Her mom is still very big in tennis and they both play every once in a while. 

Bailey loves playing tennis with her friends when she can and love spending time with family and friends. She said “I love teaching the kids all about tennis and watching them have fun and do the activities there way. It’s so cute to watch them play!”

Kayla Fredricks

This is Kayla Fredricks, 30 years old full time teacher from New Orleans, she teaches  3 year olds at Trinity Episopal, her major is Kinesiology from the University of Lafayette when I graduated in 2016. 

Kayla started playing tennis in grammar school, but never stuck with it. When she heard about Teddy tennis she was super excited to get back into it.  Kayla says she loves being able to play pickleball or tennis with her fiance on the weekends at the park near her home. she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends during her spare time making memories with them. 

One heartwarming memory she has of coaching this age with teddy tennis is their excitement when they learn a new bear that we do that week, and being able to show them the skills, and seeing the joy through their eyes when they accomplish a new skill. Being with this age group, it takes patience with them, but knowing and seeing them be able to have fun with the different games, and being able to show them different ways on how to do the skill is always the most exciting. Seeing them enjoy the music with the games is the best part of coaching Teddy tennis.