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Beyond the Baseline:

Newman has adjusted his lifestyle off the court to meet the needs of his business.

He converted his private home into a boarding facility for students who want to train with him but live too far away. He turned his office into a classroom where the students do the home school part of the Hybrid program, which combines school and tennis training in one package at the academy. His personal car is the designated van for transporting the students to and from home and to and from tournaments all around the state.

“I took out a 1 million dollar loan to build this academy as the fulfillment of a dream,” Newman said. “After that, it makes a little more sense to dedicate everything I have to make sure it succeeds.”

According to the academy's mission statement, the idea of the Hybrid program is to offer young athletes a comprehensive approach to focusing on tennis goals by combining school and training at one place. Most participants live at the boarding house while going to school and training at the academy.

But a common concern of parents is that there are things through adolescence that don’t fall under school of athletics, Newman said. He recently taught Aaron, one of the 15 year-old athletes, to drive. He oversaw his progression through a home course of drivers training.

“Aaron moved in when he was 14,” Newman said. “At that age there are other things a kid needs to learn that don’t fall under class or tennis and that is our responsibility as well.”