ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast (Lisa Stone/Tennis Channel Podcast Network)

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 13 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, I chat with coach Matt Manasse, the women's Associate Coach at 4th ranked Duke University, about college tennis recruiting. Matt is a former college tennis player himself and offers incredible insights into recruiting and playing at the college level. What questions should your junior ask the college coaches during recruiting visits? How do you choose a college? What should prospective student athletes look for during college visits? What's the best way to transition from college to pro? These are all questions Matt addresses in this episode of the podcast this week. Matt also shares his own college tennis experience and his decision to transfer. As he says, transferring is something that happens more often than we may know. It's very tough for a 17- or 18-year-old to know what he/she doesn't know when making that college tennis decision, so it's no surprise that the initial decision doesn't always work out as expected. I love getting an inside look at the life of a college tennis coach as well as recruiting, and Matt does a great job of letting us inside his world. You can reach Matt via email here and find him on Twitter @Matt_Manasse. Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our new intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. This podcast – and all of the work ParentingAces does – is supported by donations from our audience. If you are getting value from these podcasts, please consider making a donation – any size is much appreciated! – through PayPal here. You can also support ParentingAces by clicking on the ads on the right sidebar at ParentingAces.com. Thank you!     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week I published an article on the new partnerships between Universal Tennis Ratings and the two major coaching certification organizations, USPTA and PTR (click here to read the article). And this week UTR announced another new partnership with Chinese Tennis organization Love Sports. Now, you have the opportunity to hear from UTR's CEO, Mark Leschly, about how UTR works and what's in store for the future. Since there seem to be a lot of misconceptions around UTR and its algorithm, I thought this would be a great chance to clear up some things and give you a peek behind the curtain. Universal Tennis is the company behind UTR powered by Oracle, a revolutionary system that provides a single, unifying language and standard for tennis players across ages, geographies and genders. The company’s vision is to unify tennis for everyone by bringing cutting edge analytics and community based technology to players worldwide independent of level. UTR is a unique, algorithm-based system for tennis that allows anyone to measure, identify and track their level relative to other players, while also providing tools for coaches and organizers to run UTR Powered Events that are level based rather than age or gender driven. Today the UTR powered by Oracle system is gathering data over 6.5 million match results, across 700 thousand players in over 200 countries. The Company is owned by Iconica Partners (www.iconicapartners.com) and other seasoned investors, advisors and operators in tennis, sports, technology and media. Partners include Ken Solomon, President of Tennis Channel; Mark Hurd, CEO of Oracle; Jan Leschly, former CEO of Smithkline Beecham and ATP Top 10; Ken Hao, Managing Partner, Silver Lake Partners; Tennis Media Company; and the LA Dodgers investment group.  To sign up for UTR powered by Oracle, please visit www.MyUTR.com. Mark Leschly combines both an in depth knowledge and experience in sports and tennis with nearly 25 years of entrepreneurial management and investment in technology led businesses as a venture capitalist and startup CEO. He is a former ATP ranked player selected to the Danish Davis Cup, two time Captain and #1 player for Harvard Men’s Tennis and a member of the USTA Foundation Advisory Board and USTA Player Development Council.  Mark is the Founder and Managing Partner of Iconica Partners, a principal firm investing at the interface of sports, media and technology. He is an owner in several sports teams and leagues including the Los Angeles Football Club (Major League Soccer team in LA), Professional Fighters League (a new MMA league), Team Liquid (esports) and Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA Minor League baseball team). He is an owner and Managing Partner of Rho Capital Partners, a leading technology focused venture capital and private equity firm with over $2.5B under management (www.rho.com).  Mark received an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a B.A. with honors from Harvard University where he played tennis all four years. Thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professional tennis player, Rubin Statham, chats with Lisa about his life growing up with his twin brother in New Zealand and going through the juniors there then transitioning to a life on the pro tour. A few years into his career, Rubin and his twin, Oliver, noticed that they were spending in excess of $17,000 per year on stringing, almost half of their overall prize money. They decided to find a way to cut their expenses and go into business at the same time. That's how the Pro Stringer Platinum was born! Rubin talks about why every junior player should learn how to string his/her own racquets and the best age to start stringing. Rubin graciously agreed to offer a nice discount to the ParentingAces community, so if you're interested in purchasing one of these fabulous portable stringing machines, go to https://pro-stringer.com/the-pro-stringer-platinum-in-action-limited-time-offer/ and use PROMO CODE "ACES100" to get a $100 discount at checkout. To read more about the Pro Tennis Platinum stringer, check out this article on ParentingAces.com: http://parentingaces.com/how-to-save-money-on-racket-stringing/. Be sure to visit us at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at lisa@parentingaces.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 23, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa's son, Morgan Stone, rejoins the podcast to discuss his life after tennis. The last time we checked in with Morgan, he was working in tech sales in the California Bay area. He had graduated from San Jose State by way of Santa Clara University and Boise State University with a major in Business and a focus on Marketing. He was also producing house music with the goal of moving out of sales and into music full time. Then came NFTs. Morgan is now the CEO of Roo Troop, a Web3 company initially funded by non-fungible tokens that is working hard to fill a huge need in the Web3 ecosystem while maintaining a philanthropic mission as well. Roo Troop has donated over $30,000 to date to Rainforest Rescue, a non-profit to preserve the habitat of the endangered tree kangaroo in Australia (click here for a video on how Roo Troop is making a difference). If you don't understand what that means, just listen to the podcast. Morgan has had to explain these concepts so many times to family, friends, and business associates who are learning about this new technology and financial ecosystem, and he's become an excellent teacher! For more information on Roo Troop, go to RooTroop.com. If you'd like to follow Roo Troop on Twitter, click here. To follow Morgan, click here. For the Roo Troop Instagram, click here. You can find links to everything Roo Troop on Linktree here. To watch or listen to our previous podcast with Morgan, click https://parentingaces.com/articles/my-sons-journey-with-morgan-stone/. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 41 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's show, I chat with Bella Heidenreich, a former Division I college tennis player who experienced a career-ending injury during her first semester at James Madison University. Note: There are a few 4-letter words in this week's episode which I chose to leave in, so please use care when sharing with young children. Any time a young athlete is side-lined due to injury, it is emotionally stressful on top of being physically painful. When the injured athlete falls under the jurisdiction of a college coach and trainer, there are additional factors that may come into play.  Bella went through a series of challenges and obstacles while trying to recover from a fluke foot injury that happened her first month in college. Being far away from home, she dealt with the incident in the best way she knew how and shares that experience with us this week.  My conversation with Bella is the first in an effort to bring Truth to Tennis. We often try to sugar-coat the Junior Development Process and College Recruiting in hopes of keeping players and their families invested in the sport long-term. However, as I learned through my own journey with my son, things aren't always as they seem on the surface. Bella's story isn't unusual. The way her injury was handled by the JMU athletic trainer and coach isn't unusual. It is crucial that parents understand what can happen when their child leaves home to play College Tennis and are armed with information if their child becomes injured. My hope is that this episode with Bella leads you to ask more questions during the Recruiting Process and leads your player to become a good self-advocate once he/she is on campus. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. We have also started a Patreon page for those of you not ready to take the plunge as a Premium Member. You can make a donation of any size to support our podcast by clicking here. In exchange, you will have access to extra audio and video recordings not available elsewhere as well as other benefits - go to our Patreon Page for more info. Thank you!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 4, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! With the 2021 College Tennis Season underway, it's a great time to check in with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for an update. To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/qspzISgxGVo. Dave Mullins is the Managing Director of the ITA. As such he works closely with the Tennis For America (TFA) program as well as other areas of the organization and is an incredible resource for us at ParentingAces. In this week's episode, Dave updates us on the application process for Year 2 of TFA and what changes are in store as the program continues to grow and partner with more sports. Dave also discusses the 2021 College Tennis Season and the challenges ahead for the coaches and players as they continue to navigate life during a pandemic. The ITA maintains a good working relationship with the NCAA and offers input on rule changes, including the current recruiting dead period and when it might end. Dave also shares his insights on how coaches and college tennis programs are innovating so they stay relevant in this trying economic environment. For more information on Tennis for America, go to https://www.tennisforamerica.com. For more information on the ITA, go to https://www.wearecollegetennis.com. You can reach Dave Mullins directly via email at dmullins@itatennis.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 34, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we focus on off-court strength and conditioning with certified coach James Shapiro. James grew up playing junior tennis then moved into the coaching realm. He realized there was a missing piece when it came to the off-court training for young players - there were fitness coaches out there but very few who knew the ins and outs specific to tennis training. James continued his education, earning two masters degrees, and now works with players of all ages and levels in the Southern California area. To get more information on James or to contact him, visit his website at https://jameslshapiro.com/. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 17, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we've got something a little different on tap. ParentingAces creator and founder, Lisa Stone, does a deep dive into the ParentingAces platform, including ParentingAces.com and its social media channels. Learn how best to use the website, Facebook page and groups, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube offerings to help you have a more positive experience throughout the Junior and College Tennis Journey. If you have more questions or would like to get in touch with Lisa, you can reach her at lisa@parentingaces.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow ParentingAces on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 30, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! Anxiety and mental strength are often diametrically opposed - lessen one and the other increases. In this week's episode, noted Sports Psychologist and founder of Mind of the Athlete, Dr. Jarrod Spencer, discusses how we can help our players deal with the anxiety that is inherent in competing at a high level while building their Mental Muscle. Dr. Spencer has extensive training and experience in the field of health and sports psychology. Before earning a Doctor of Psychology Degree from Argosy University, formerly known as The Illinois School of Professional Psychology, he earned his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from West Chester University and his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychobiology from Lafayette College. Dr. Spencer professionally trained at The Jersey Shore Medical Center, Northwestern Neuropsychological Association, and The Diamond Headache Clinic. He is a licensed psychologist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia. Dr. Spencer is also a member of The American Psychological Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and Lehigh Valley Psychological and Counseling Association. Dr. Spencer travels the country speaking to athletes, coaches, parents, students, athletic directors, health care professionals and business leaders. From pharmaceutical companies to state high school athletic director conferences to college campuses, Dr. Spencer empowers people with his signature message of clearer mind, better performance. In this week's episode, Dr. Spencer discusses the major causes of anxiety in young athletes and how we as parents can help reduce it. He offers concrete, detailed suggestions to help our players develop strong mental habits both on and off the court. For more information and to reach Jarrod Spencer, visit his website at http://www.mindoftheathlete.com/. You can also email him at mindoftheathlete@gmail.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 9 of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week, we take another look at SwingVision and its Electronic Line Calling (ELC) features and how it is being used at junior and college tennis matches. If you've followed this podcast for any length of time, you've heard Swupnil Sahai, the co-founder and CEO of SwingVision, talk about his tennis technology, and you've witnessed the constant developments and improvements over the past several years. Last year, I had the privilege of watching SwingVision's ELC technology in action at multiple junior tournaments in the SoCal section - what a game changer! Now, Swupnil and his team are working even more closely with USTA and the ITA to bring that technology to events throughout the US. Our previous podcasts with Swupnil and SwingVision https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/bringing-ai-to-tennis-with-swupnil-sahai/ https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/swingtennis-ft-swupnil-sahai/ https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/whats-new-with-swingvision-ft-george-opelka/ https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/swingvision-is-changing-junior-college-tennis-ft-swupnil-sahai/ For more information on SwingVision and downloading the app on your iOS or Android phone, go to https://swing.vision/. If your facility in interested in bringing the SwingVision ELC to your courts, you can reach out to Swupnil directly at swupnil@swing.tennis. For the discounted bundle Swupnil mentions in the podcast, visit https://swing.tennis/c/parentingaces20. This discount code will give you $20 off your first year of Pro, a free Swing Stick ($100 value), and a 60-Day money back guarantee. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The past 12 days at the NCAAs at the University of Georgia have been incredible! The level of tennis and sportsmanship exhibited by the student-athletes, coaches, and fans (well, mostly!) has been superb. I ran into some old friends (including Stanford Super Fan, Cliff Hayashi!) and made some new ones. I even had the opportunity to meet some long-time digital friends in person - including College10s2day's Bobby Knight - what a treat! At this year's Championships, I wanted to give y'all a glimpse at some of the people who make this event so great, so I reached out to some of the players, parents, and behind-the-scenes folks involved. The volunteers from UGA did an incredible job of keeping things running, including squeegeeing courts, manning the gates, and keeping all of us fed and hydrated. I hope those of you on Twitter and Instagram enjoyed my updates there, too! In this week's ParentingAces Podcast, which is a bit longer than usual (sorry!), you will hear from Taylor Davidson, a senior at Stanford; Francesca DiLorenzo, a sophomore at Ohio State; Chanmeet Narang, the UGA Men's Tennis Team Manager; Elizabeth Milano, a UGA student and volunteer at the Championships; Tammy Duncan and Olga Reinberg, parents of UGA players; and Beata Redlicki, mom to players at University of Arkansas and UCLA. Please pardon the background noise as these interviews were actually conducted on the grounds of the Championships. As mentioned in the podcast, entries for the 2nd annual Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In Tennis Tournament are now open. For the Atlanta tournament (July 17-19) go to http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/261/. For the Baltimore tournament (August 12-13) go to http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/336/.  To watch the FloTennis profile on Michael Redlicki, go to https://www.flotennis.com/article/56190-8-things-you-didn-t-know-about-mike-redlicki. Also, registration for the ITA Summer Circuit is now open. Go to http://www.itatennis.com/Events/ITA_Summer_Circuit.htm for information. For more information on the 2017 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships, visit http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-tennis/spec-rel/ncaa-2017.html. A huge THANK YOU to the University of Georgia, the NCAA, and the ITA for working together to put on my favorite event in tennis, hands down. Visit us at www.parentingaces.com. Email me at lisa@parentingaces.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 28, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Coach Joey Blake shares how parents and junior coaches can best use match charting throughout the junior development journey. Joey Blake is a former world-ranked professional tennis player and was one of the best junior tennis players in the 1980’s. Blake was raised in Las Vegas, NV. Blake was a U.S. Open Junior Doubles Champion as well as a finalist in singles. He attended the University of Arkansas on a full tennis scholarship, where he became the first freshmen since John McEnroe to win the prestigious NCAA National Indoor singles title and went on to be ranked as high as #1 in the United States in the NCAA Division 1 national rankings in 1986. Blake was an NCAA All-American. Blake turned professional after one of the greatest seasons of any freshman in NCAA tennis history Blake went on to play the professional men’s tennis tour. Life changing tennis related injuries saw the talented Blake retire at the young age of 21. At the age of 22, Mr. Blake began his coaching career. He is regarded as one of the most esteemed and respected high performance junior coaches in the world. He has mentored and coached eight #1 U.S Juniors. Grand Slam and NCAA Champions as well as Olympians. Mr. Blake’s students have gone on to earn more than $5 million dollars in collegiate scholarships attending some of the most prestigious universities in the country. Blake has owned and operated some of the most successful tennis player development programs throughout the world. A reputation that puts students life development first along with a personalized tennis development program for each of his students. Blake consults, mentors and instructs his proven tennis philosophy around the world as as a guest speaker and clinician regularly to avid supporters and tennis fans seeking his vast knowledge of tennis. Early in his coaching career, Joey learned and understood the value of charting matches for his players. He has worked with some of the best coaching mentors out there and developed what he feels are best practices for evaluating matches and using the data when creating or editing developmental plans for his players. Joey has worked closely with Andy Durham, the creator of RacketStats, as well as other tennis statisticians and understands the nuances of match data. In this episode, he shares with us how to better use that data with our own junior players. You can follow Joey on social media at https://www.facebook.com/pro10s and https://x.com/joeyblaketennis. You can also reach him via email at joey@joeyblaketennis.com. Find him online at Joeyblaketennis.com and Spinmastersportfoundation.com.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 8 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week we return to our recent discussions around UTR, WTN, and what that means for junior tennis and college recruiting with guest Chris Lewit. Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and pro-circuit player. He is a high-performance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis (2014) The Tennis Technique Bible Chris has coached numerous top 10 nationally-ranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies. Chris coaches in NYC and year-round at his high-performance tennis academy in Manchester, Vermont, where players can live and train the Spanish Way full-time or short-term. Chris has studied the various rating systems currently in use and has some very definite thoughts on how players, parents, and coaches should be using them. To listen to the podcast that led to this conversation, visit https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/utr-is-god-prodigy-maker-show-episode-68/id1456148452?i=1000588954030. If you'd like to learn more about Chris and his coaching opportunities, visit his website at https://www.chrislewit.com/. You can also email him at chris@chrislewit.com or reach him by phone or WhatsApp at 914-462-2912. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 46, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, Lisa talks with former ATP professional player and current ATP/Junior coach, Daniel Yoo, about how he uses his tour experience to help today's players reach their potential. Daniel Yoo is a South Korean tennis player who made his way to the US to train and eventually coach. Yoo reached a career high ATP singles ranking of 326 and a career high ATP doubles ranking of 425 before retiring from the professional tour. He is now living and working in South Florida, currently training and traveling with South Korean up-and-coming pro Soonwoo Kwon as well as assisting with junior development with coaches Todd Widom and Pierre Arnold at Todd Widom Tennis. Daniel is a firm believer in building trust with his players and feels that is an absolute precursor to success on and off the tennis court. He shares how he builds that trust with his players and their families and what may be missing from other player-coach relationships. He also discusses how his mandatory time serving in the Korean military shaped his approach to working with young players to develop the necessary skills for success. To reach Daniel, you can find him on Facebook here and on Instagram here. You can also email him directly at yootennis@gmail.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 33, of the ParentingAces Podcast! To watch the video version of this week's episode, click here. Learn from Kayla Epperson, Physical Therapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, about a very specific and common tennis injury called "Backhand Wrist" and how it can be avoided. This is a similar injury to the one Cici Bellis sustained and is finally recovering from as she gets back to professional tennis competition. Kayla experienced the injury herself in college and wound up having surgery, a decision she now regrets. Hear more when she joins Lisa Stone, creator of ParentingAces, in a video conversation. For more information and to contact Kayla, go to theathleteconnectionpt.com. You can also email her at kayla@theathleteconnectionpt.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 13 of the ParentingAces Podcast. I hope this week finds you and your loved ones healthy and well. Coach Todd Widom and I wanted to take the opportunity to talk a little more about what junior tennis players - and coaches - can do during this time of isolation to stay on track with their development and goals.  To get in touch with Coach Todd, follow him on Facebook and Instagram or email him at Todd@TWTennis.com. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sixteen-year-old Ronnie Hohmann, who won the 2017 Eddie Herr 16s, recently had the unique opportunity to train with several players on the ATP tour. Both Ronnie - and his coach, Todd Widom - learned so much from these training sessions beyond just hitting forehands and backhands. All junior players and their coaches can learn a lot from studying how the pros train. With so many pro tournaments across the world, there are typically at least one or two days before the main draw starts where the players are on site and getting used to the courts. Practice sessions - other than for some of the very top players - are usually free to attend and open to the public. Consider taking your junior players to watch and see what it means to train like a pro. Coach Todd Widom made the most of his player's time hitting with the pros and found a way to point out and then incorporate those professional behaviors with the players he trains. Hear more about what he learned and how he's using it in this week's episode.  You can find Todd online at www.twtennis.com. Thank you to our sponsor 10sballs.com! Thank you, too, to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 18 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss summer tennis camps with Ohio State Men's Assistant Coach and founder of Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps, David Schilling. If you've been following ParentingAces for a while, you know what a huge fan I am of sending your child to tennis camp in the summer. Not only is it a fantastic break from their regular grind of drills and tournaments, but it also fosters independence and gives them a chance to meet and play against kids they may not know. If the camp is held on a college campus, as are the Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps, then they also get the added benefit of spending time on a campus, getting a feel for dorm life, and meeting and playing with some of the current team members. In my opinion, there's no better way to inspire a young player to aim for playing college tennis! David Schilling has a rich background in tennis with the added benefit of having a father who was a coach and who mentored David throughout his childhood. David has used the lessons he learned from his dad in his own recruiting, coaching, and management of the camps and shares all of that with us this week. He talks about UTR, Tennis Recruiting, and the various rankings and how he and Ty Tucker use them in their recruiting efforts at Ohio State. If you're interested in Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps for your kids, click here. Wilson Tennis does a great job of supporting the camps with equipment and prizes for the kids! To contact David directly, you can do so via this contact form or via email at david@premiersportscamps.com. Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our new intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces - we have 3 options for you - by clicking here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 10, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with Katie Lever, a former Division I athlete and newly-published author, about her college athletic experience. Katie is currently working toward her Ph. D at the University of Texas at Austin in Rhetoric and Language with experience in quantitative and qualitative research, academic presentations, teaching, journalism, market research, and college athletics. She also freelances for one of our partners, 2aDays.com - an online resource for prospective college athletes dedicated to transparency and educational empowerment in collegiate athletics - as a writer, speaker, and advisor. Katie Lever ran track and cross country for Western Kentucky University from 2012-17, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and master’s degree in Organizational Communication. Her current research focuses on athlete rights, issues in intercollegiate athletics, and college sports reform. Over the course of her graduate career, she has presented her research at three national conferences and authored/co-authored two book chapters. To purchase Katie's novel, click here (note: ParentingAces may receive a small commission on your purchase). You can connect with Katie on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 4, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week we discuss helping your child become self-reliant which leads to becoming a better competitor with coaching experts Carlos and Josh Goffi. Carlos and Josh are a father-son duo who, between them, have played and coached tennis at very high levels. Carlos was John McEnroe's developmental coach starting around age 14 and also coached John and his brother Patrick on the ATP tour. Josh is the Head Men's Coach at the University of South Carolina who coached two of his players to the NCAA finals in the last two years - a first since 2004: back-to-back finalists by the same school. In this week's episode, Carlos and Josh discuss their own coaching philosophies in terms of developing top tennis players but, more importantly, developing top human beings.  They have developed a virtual course for junior tennis players and parents called Tournament Tough Online. This 5-part interactive program provides valuable instruction, perspective, and a plan for junior tennis families. The pilot series begins February 21, 2022, and is available to 20 participants via invitation only. If you are interested in participating, you need to email lisa@parentingaces.com ASAP to receive your personalized code that includes a 50% discount off the course price! To learn more about Tournament Tough Online, you can visit its website at https://tournamenttough.com. If you want to sign up for the online course, DO NOT DO SO DIRECTLY THROUGH THE WEBSITE! You must have the personalized code in order to receive the discounted price. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 14 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we take a detailed look at hydration and nutrition for junior tennis players. My guest is Certified Sports Nutritionist and Sports Nutritionist for the Boston Bruins, Julie Nicoletti. Julie also now works with CrossCourt Consulting to help junior tennis players maximize their performance both on and off the court. Julie provides DETAILED information on what our young players should be eating and drinking before, during, and after practices as well as before, during, and after tournaments. She mentions several products throughout the podcast, and I've provided links to each one below (NOTE: ParentingAces may receive a commission if you purchase the products through these links; however, ParentingAces does not endorse these products to the exclusion of other similar products on the market). Julie also mentions The Clean Label Project (click here to visit its website) as a reliable resource for clean and healthy products and foods.  To reach Julie, click here for her website, email her here, or call her in Boston at 617-921-4237. I will be at the Miami Open for one day on Thursday, March 21. If you're going to be there, too, please let me know so we can connect! Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our new intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. This podcast – and all of the work ParentingAces does – is supported by donations from our audience. If you are getting value from these podcasts, please consider making a donation – any size is much appreciated! – through PayPal here. Thank you! Hydration & Nutrition Products Click the product name to open a new window and go to it in the ParentingAces Amazon Store: Nuun Tablets Skratch Powder Fuel For Fire Munk Pack Clif Shot Bloks Honey Stinger Chews Honey Stinger Waffles Nordic Naturals Omega3 & Vitamin D supplement Barlean's Omega3 supplement Sol Raiz Organic Maca Powder Vital Proteins Collage Protein Powder Vega Clean Protein Powder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 30, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Lisa Stone, creator of ParentingAces, and Gabriella Hesse, part of the inaugural group of Tennis For America representatives, join in a discussion around the role of the college tennis and its players, especially as it relates to giving back to the community. As Gabby says, "We NEED to integrate our college tennis programs into their communities through volunteering, outreach, and fundraising and find ways to make them invaluable to the schools that believe the only way to make budget is to cut them." For more information on Tennis for America, visit https://parentingaces.com/new-ita-program-for-college-players/ and https://www.wearecollegetennis.com/2020/06/04/inaugural-tennis-for-america-class-begins-year-of-service-to-country/. To watch the video version of this interview, click here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 27, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we learn about a new product to enhance on- and off-court training with a portable and wearable apparatus. WearBands is an innovative tool to make your workouts more effective while avoiding over-stressing growing bones and connective tissue. The WearBands system is designed to increase the results of any workout or activity via the proven training benefits of time under tension and neuromuscular stimulation. WearBands come in four sock sizes, three lower-body band sizes, and 3 upper-body band sizes, which together accommodate almost anyone of any shoe size, height, and fitness level. The website has a sizing tool that will help you figure out what is correct for your player or yourself. Unlike all other resistance bands, WearBands allows unrestricted movement under variable resistance. Typical resistance bands are either tied to a stationary object, held by another person, or held in your hands. These systems often do not allow the body to move in a natural way with proper posture, and do not leave your hands free. WearBands allows true functional movement under resistance, the way body naturally moves. With your hands free and your body untethered, you are free to add upper-body resistance, if you wish, and you are free to move anywhere and everywhere. This allows for a more complete workout. Upper- and lower-body muscle groups can receive a resistance workout simultaneously, and you can also add fully functional resistance to any cardio workout. You will receive more results in the same time, or the same results in less time, because you are burning more calories (up to 20 percent), getting more cardio, and getting more toning from the same workout. The muscles therefore receive a much more concentrated resistance workout, and for the first time ever, your muscles are trained under resistance to work in a coordinated fashion, as they do when you naturally move.  Dan has generously offered our community a 20% discount on WearBands. To purchase, visit https://wearbands.com/pages/product-page and choose your preferred item(s). Use code ACES at checkout to receive your discount. For some ideas of how to workout using WearBands, check out these links: https://share.mindstamp.com/w/HziDHVtZgvFK https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWfUB7olqETFdjtTa17GBl1gLmUEPOD5t&si=R8yidYFTk6joueNx https://wearbands.com/pages/wearbands-interactive-sports-videos If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 21, of the ParentingAces Podcast! My guest for this special Video Episode is my son, Morgan Stone. For those of you who follow the ParentingAces Facebook Page, you may have seen our conversation when it aired live last week. However, for those who missed it, this is a very raw, very honest – and, at times, very uncomfortable – account of Morgan’s junior tennis development, college tennis experience, and relationship with my husband and me. If you are the parent of a young player, you may want to watch first before letting your child view this one. As I said, Morgan gives an honest – and sometimes bitter – assessment of growing up as an elite tennis player and playing in college. He owns that experience and makes no assumption that others will or have had similar ones. I have struggled for a while about providing a place for Morgan to share his story with the ParentingAces community because it’s not all flowers and butterflies (as will be evident as you watch). However, I know from talking with several of you that he’s not alone in feeling the way he does. I am very interested to hear from you after viewing the conversation, so please do add your Comments below or feel free to contact me directly. Several comments came in as we were doing the livestream on Facebook. Here are a few of them: “I think this interview is authentic and very honest. Performance tennis as a sport has many sad stories including frustrations, divorces, financial woes etc. Most 1st time tennis parents do not understand till they have already spend a lot of time and money and can’t pivot.” “Healthy conversation.” “This is sad…” “I watched the podcast with your son and found it so authentic. For a 23 year old, he truly has a sense of himself.” “I think every single parent that considers getting into tennis for their kids needs to watch that video.” I want to say, though, that this is a Tennis Story with a happy ending. Although he is no longer playing tennis, and although our Parent-Child relationship went through some very rocky periods, Morgan has found his passion in the form of producing music and performing as a DJ, and our relationship is stronger than ever. Morgan is also having great success in his first post-college job, working in Business Development for an education tech startup in San Jose. It is extremely satisfying for my husband and me to see all three of our children thriving in their careers. For those curious about Morgan’s music, you can listen here and watch his recent livestream here.  During our conversation, I reference another podcast Morgan did prior to ours. You can find that episode online by clicking here. He speaks in much more detail about his college recruiting and playing experience in his D1 Only Podcast interview. To follow Morgan or to contact him, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. To watch this week’s video podcast, click below: As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – relaunching June 15 – by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 24, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we are joined by one of Tennis Channel's own on-air commentators and coach to some of the games top professional players, Paul Annacone. If you follow tennis at all, you probably know exactly who Paul Annacone is! However, for those of you new to the sport, Paul has coached the likes of Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Sloane Stephens, Stan Wawrinka, Tim Henman, and, most recently, Taylor Fritz. Before his coaching career took off, Paul spent 14 years on tour as a player where he won three ATP titles and reached a career high ranking of No. 12 in singles. With long-time partner Christo van Rensburg, he won the 1985 Australian Open, and he finished his career with 14 doubles titles. Paul is now consulting with USTA SoCal's Player Development department alongside its Director of Junior Tennis, Trevor Kronemann, to help the next generation of players in the area reach their full potential on and off the court. He is committed to working with players at all levels and understands that to grow the game, you can't only focus on the creme de la creme in the Junior Tennis Player Pool. Rather, you have to meet players where they are, understand their goals and dreams, then help them become the best they can be through thoughtful coaching and guidance. He also understands the importance of Tennis Parents in the Junior Development Journey and is committed to creating Parent Education opportunities in the SoCal section. My hope is he'll be so successful that the other USTA sections will have no choice but to emulate what's taking place in my new home area! For more information on Paul Annacone, visit his website at https://paulannacone.com/. To learn more about what Paul is doing in the SoCal section, visit their website at https://www.ustasocal.com/junior/. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 29, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! This week we tackle a topic suggested by one of our long-time listeners: off-court training for Junior Tennis Players. Dean Hollingworth has more fitness and tennis certifications than pretty much anyone around. Although based in Montreal, Canada, Dean works with tennis players both in person and virtually and has helped so many of them on their journey to US College Tennis and the professional circuit. In this week's podcast, Dean shares some very specific information for all of you hoping to help your Junior Players develop to their utmost ability. I highly encourage you to watch the video version as Dean shares some great visuals in this episode. He also provides detailed answers to the questions you submitted via email and Facebook: 1.      How much non-hitting training should juniors do? 2.      Should juniors attend specific agility/speed facilities that are popping up all over? 3.      What weight lifts are most important to tennis? 4.      What footwork drills are best? 5.      What are some dynamics a junior player on hiatus can do while recovering? 6.      What is a good upper body strengthening technique to make shoulders stronger for a better swing? 7.      Tennis specific resistance band strength training for my junior twins. 8.      Tennis specific 15 minute stretch I can get them to do as I’m making breakfast, packing their lunch and filling water bottles for a full day of tennis before I drop them off. I want it to become automatic but don’t know which exercises they should do every day to stretch and prevent injury. 9.      How safe is weight training and conditioning before puberty? 10.  How many days per week and how long should a player being doing off court fitness for different age groups, like under 12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18 11.  Are there any online resources for parents/kids that can help with ideas of what a good fitness routine should be like or what are the best exercises? 12.  Is it better to do in a small group vs one on one? 13.  How do you find the right fitness coach? 14.  Can a second sport be fitness training? 15.  How important is flexibility and how do you build it? 16.  What should a junior player be doing to prevent injury? 17.  What is appropriate for younger juniors considering growing bodies? 18.  How should junior players prepare for the rigors of college tennis? 19.  What is the importance of sleep in terms of an overall fitness program for jrs? To see the videos Dean references in this podcast, click here. For more information on Dean and to get in contact with him, visit his website here. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram for new videos and other valuable content. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 6 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week's episode does a deep dive into the new tennis coaching digital platform, Full Court Tennis, with its creator, former top ATP Pro, Brian Teacher. I first met Brian several years ago at the US Open Junior tournament. I've since run into him around SoCal and was excited to get him on the podcast to discuss the latest iteration of Full Court Tennis. I encourage you to watch the video version of this episode for insights as to what the platform is capable of doing for players, parents, and coaches. Here is the press release which describes it best: Virtual tennis coaching has never been easier to use since former Grand Slam champion Brian Teacher launched the improved and updated Full Court Tennis (FCT) website where players can connect with world-renowned coaches for virtual lessons making tennis coaching easily accessible and affordable for everyone.  For a limited time, Teacher has announced that players and coaches of any level can sign up completely free with no credit card required.  Originally launched as an iOS app two years ago, players and coaches can now sign up and connect directly on FullCourtTennis.com, where advanced features allow coaches to independently set their rates, get hired, or give free virtual lessons.  This includes:  •    Stroke Analysis: Submit videos for in-depth feedback on your technique.   •    Match Analysis: Get expert insights on strategy and performance. •    Live Video Call Lessons: Collaborate directly with coaches in real time to review match footage, improve techniques, or address any aspect of your game. FCT also offers innovative tools like match tagging and the ability to add multiple participants to a lesson space, making the experience collaborative and efficient.  “Full Court Tennis revolutionizes the way players and coaches connect, making expert tennis coaching as easy as clicking onto a website or using the app,” said Brian Teacher. “FCT’s coaches are experts in stroke development, match strategy, and mental preparation, with many having worked with top-level professional players. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, FCT ensures you’re learning from the best.”  More than 700 coaches from over 100 countries are on the platform, including coach Michael Russell - coach of ATP # 4 Taylor Fritz, Gilles Cervara - coach of ATP #7 Daniil Medvedev and coach Johan Kriek - two-time Australian Open champion.   All-time great John McEnroe and former USTA President & CEO Katrina Adams sit on the FCT Advisory Board, lending their expertise and leadership to the platform. If you're interested in learning more about Full Court Tennis, visit the website at https://www.fullcourttennis.com/. To download the IOS app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keynote/id1563456530?mt=8. To reach Brian Teacher via email, bt@fullcourttennis.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 27, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode is all about high school tennis and technology. Our guest, Keanen McCarthy, has been working for several years to develop an app to help high school tennis coaches and players get organized and improve communication. The Mobile Match App is the perfect solution! Keanen shares his motivation behind the app and what he hopes to accomplish through its use. For more information, you can visit the NexGenTen website here and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. To download the app, click here. To watch the video version of this podcast, go to https://www.youtube.com/.  As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 2 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Coach Todd Widom is back with us discussing the limitations of talent identification in young athletes. Governing bodies in junior tennis have traditionally relied on talent ID to determine where to allocate their financial and coaching resources. Players as young as 8 years old would get "tapped" by the organization based on guesses made about their future size, commitment to the sport, and upside potential. As we know, that has led to many mistakes over the years with some children being the Chosen Ones then burning out due to over-playing or injuries and other children being denied coaching and financial resources well before they had a chance to grow into their potential. In this week's podcast, Todd Widom discusses the limitations of traditional tennis talent identification. He argues that the current system of identifying talent fails to account for the differences between players and their individual journeys. He also explains why tennis players need to be evaluated more holistically and how to create a better system of talent identification. Todd and I chat about the factors to consider when trying to decide who will "make it" and who won't, and why Talent ID is such an inexact science. We present several different schools of thought and what parents should consider when deciding whether to invest their time and money in expensive coaching and tournament play. To contact Todd or to get information on his training, you can reach him at todd@twtennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram as well. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 26, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. If you've been around Junior Tennis a while, you may have heard of the Little Mo series of tournaments. But have you heard about the Little Mo Club??? My guests this week include Cindy Brinker - daughter of Little Mo herself, Maureen Connolly Brinker - Carol Weyman who runs the Little Mo tournaments, and Gerry, Gael, and Matias Moran who started the Little Mo Club during the COVID shutdown last year. You will hear both Cindy and Carol talk about the WHY behind Little Mo and the logistics of the tournaments. In addition, you'll hear from the Morans about the need to create a virtual community for young players to stay in touch during the pandemic and how they have teamed with Little Mo to make that happen. Matias is a former Little Mo participant himself, and, at age 14, knows the value these experiences have brought to his life both on and off the tennis court. As Matias mentions in the pod, he interviewed me for the Little Mo Club website, You can watch that interview here. For more information on the Little Mo Club, visit their website at https://www.littlemoclub.com/. For information on the Little Mo series of tournaments, go to http://mcbtennis.org/Tournaments_9.aspx. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo'd merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could find a teaching pro who actually had a college degree in Tennis? What if she had an in-depth knowledge not only of teaching forehands and backhands but also sport psychology, injury prevention, nutrition, and communication? Well, thanks to several hard-working and forward-thinking folks, the Professional Tennis Management (PTM) Certificate is now a reality! Coach Jorge Capestany, the Head Tennis Coach at Hope College, is leading the charge to create the PTM program at his school and chats with us this week about what that program will entail, how he is recruiting students to participate, and what will set these newly-educated professionals apart from their peers. USTA is working hard to expand the number of PTM programs around the US in order to raise the bar for those calling themselves Tennis Teaching Professionals. My hope is that we will see a big uptick in the quality of coaching in our country which will make the Tennis Parent's job easier when it comes to choosing a coach for his/her junior player and will grow the sport at the same time. Jorge is still developing the program and is actively seeking input on courses, curricula, and other aspects of the Certificate. If you have thoughts to share with him, you can reach him via email at capestany@hope.edu. Find Jorge online here. Read more about the Hope PTM Certificate at hope.edu/ptm Watch the Hope PTM PowerPoint presentation here. Thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 10 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Coach Todd Widom is back with us to shed some light on why tour players don't always make the best junior coaches. Many of you have had the good fortune to see former professional tennis players come to your local club or academy or other facility and offer to work with developing juniors. Sometimes they make great coaches right away, using the lessons they've learned throughout their development and career to teach younger players how to be successful on and off the court. But sometimes they need time to develop into effective coaches, and sometimes that never happens for them. Todd and I discuss what questions parents should be asking of these former pro players to ensure they are the right fit to coach your particular child. It's not rocket science, but we just don't want you to let their star power impact your judgement in this very important decision. To contact Todd or to get information on his training, you can reach him at todd@twtennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram as well. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 25, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with Erik Kortland, former college and professional player and current coach and business person, about his latest venture, RKT Group, Inc. After his playing career, Erik started at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles as Head of Elite Player and Academy Development, where he was responsible for developing a Top-10 national player in every age group of boys and girls. After much success as a private coach, Erik was hired in 2013 by USTA Player Development as National Coach, Junior Development. His primary responsibility was to implement USTA PD philosophy at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, site of the annual US Open Tennis Championships, directly developing USA’s very best prospects and creating programming for all juniors.   In 2016 Erik coached Amanda Anisimova (pictured with Erik) to her first junior French Open final and first WTA grand slam win at the US Open. In 2017 he coached Whitney Osuigwe and Claire Liu to the finals of the Junior French open and Claire Liu and Ann Li to the finals of Junior Wimbledon.  In 2017 and 2018 USA recaptured the Junior Fed Cup title twice in Budapest, Hungary with 2017 team of Amanda Anisimova, Whitney Osuigwe, Caty McNally and 2018 team Coco Gauff, Alexa Noel, and Connie Ma. In 2018, Erik was promoted to Lead National coach for men’s and women’s tennis and was in charge of all women’s and junior boys programming at Training Center West in Carson, CA. In 2021 Erik resigned from USTA and joined the Tecnifibre/Lacoste Performance Team as part of their sports marketing and player development department. With all Erik’s tennis expertise and business industry experience it was a natural fit to team up with Ryan Redondo and Khuong Tien to form RKT Group, Inc. RKT Group's mission is to grow the game of tennis by working with municipalities, private clubs, coaches, and families to provide educational and funding opportunities through consulting. Erik, Ryan, and Khuong each bring a unique perspective to our sport as players, industry representatives, business owners, and tennis parents. To learn more about RKT, visit its website at http://www.rkt3.com. You can reach out to Erik directly via his email: ekortland@rkt3.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's hard to believe another season of the ParentingAces Podcast has come to a close! Over the past 7 years, I've had the opportunity to chat with some amazing Parents, Coaches, Players, and Industry Folks who have been incredibly generous with their knowledge and offers to help. It seems only fitting to close this season with one last conversation with Coach Todd Widom. In this episode, Todd addresses the Millennial Player and how best to coach them to their highest potential. You will hear Todd (and me) reference a video we both watched a few months ago. You can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/100000013386147/posts/2186232288053863/. It's only 16 minutes long, and I promise you it's worth your time! While I won't be releasing any new episodes between now and the end of the year, rest assured I will be RECORDING new ones in anticipation of 2019 and Season 8! I urge you to use these next few weeks to catch up on any episodes you may have missed, to re-listen to those that sparked something in you, and to share our podcast and website with anyone you think will benefit from their content. Also be sure to subscribe to ParentingAces here so you don't miss a thing! Please enjoy the holidays with your family and other loved ones. Let's all come back together the first week of January to jump-start another great year of learning and sharing. Happy holidays! As always, a big thank you to STØNE for our music! I'll be seeing him perform live in San Francisco this week! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 40 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week is all about Tennis Technology, specifically, AccuTennis, and how collecting data can help our junior players develop more fully. AccuTennis is a new on-court automated camera and player analysis technology that enables game-based play for all players. It can be used by clubs and other facilities to call lines, run drills, keep score, livestream matches, scout opponents, and review play. Building trust in the system has been one of AccuTennis's biggest challenges to date, and getting organizations - like the ITF and USTA - to approve its use in official tournaments is a work in progress. In terms of Junior Development and how AccuTennis can help, the technology "chunks" matches into usable video that can be sorted by stroke, spin, score, etc. For coaches, this makes watching a student's match video doable in terms of time commitment and takes the onus off the player or parent to edit a full match before seeking input from the coach. For players, having the ability to sort a match based on specific elements being worked on in practice is invaluable. There are also many cost-savings implications for parents with AccuTennis. For example, juniors could play a practice match on an AccuTennis-powered court which captures video and data. Then, the coach could evaluate the practice match for a fee that may be much less than the cost of a lesson. For more information on AccuTennis and bringing it to your facility, you can reach Adam Sher at 215-989-4312 or via email at adam@accutennis.com.  As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. We have also started a Patreon page for those of you not ready to take the plunge as a Premium Member. You can make a donation of any size to support our podcast by clicking here. In exchange, you will have access to extra audio and video recordings not available elsewhere as well as other benefits – go to our Patreon Page for more info. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlos Goffi has a very impressive coaching resume, listing John McEnroe and Mary Carillo among his successful charges. In this week's throw-back episode from 2013, Coach Goffi shares how he learned to coach, why he feels young athletes should play a variety of sports, and why it is so important for us as parents to learn how to control our emotions and body language as we watch our young players compete in the classroom, on the field, or on the court. This episode was recorded several years ago as I was driving with my son back from Mobile, Alabama, where we had spent the long weekend at a junior tournament. Listening to it today brings back so many memories and emotions of my years traveling with my son! Having just returned home from spending a long weekend with him and my daughters in Los Angeles, I am reminded of how tennis helped cement a bond between us that I hope will last forever. Tennis is truly the gift that keeps on giving! You can find Carlos Goffi's book, TOURNAMENT TOUGH, here.  Thank you for listening and sharing our podcast with your tennis community! Please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Google Play or wherever you like to grab your podcasts! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the ParentingAces Podcast, click here for more information. Please check us out at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at lisa@parentingaces.com.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should we parents push our kids to be fiercely competitive? Or should we protect them from the knockouts?  In Part 8 of our conversation, John Falbo is of the opinion that not only should we push our kids to be competitive but it is also OUR RESPONSIBILITY as parents to do so in order for them to be successful in life. As usual, John doesn't mince words, and some may find his opinions offensive, but that's what I love about him! He speaks his mind as someone who has lived through the rigors of junior and college tennis and used those experiences to find success in the business world. You can find John's Facebook video here: https://www.facebook.com/ You can find the article he references here: https://tennisdadblog.wordpress.com To enter the 2017 #theSol Atlanta tournament, click here. To enter the 2017 #theSol Baltimore tournament, click here. To get info on the Match Tennis App, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The topic of cheating in junior tennis seems to come up ad nauseum both on this podcast as well as on the ParentingAces social media outlets. I'm not sure if that means the issue is getting worse or if we're just talking about it more, but, either way, it is something we as a Tennis Community need to act on to ensure the growth of our sport.  In this week's ParentingAces podcast, Bill Patton and I revisit past conversations we've had around cheating and what to do about it. Bill lays out some specific action items in his e-book, How To End Cheating in Junior Tennis (visit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y00NKNK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00Y00NKNK&linkCode=as2&tag=pareaces-20&linkId=2b3a09843f63af59fba90d21bf36832d to view and order the book). He also leaves the ParentingAces community with a challenge to take specific steps ourselves to stop this negative aspect of our sport. We also discuss Bill's upcoming USATennisCoach Deep Coaching Workshop. You can get more information on the USATennis Coach Facebook page here. To watch Bill's live YouTube broadcast of the first part of our podcast, click here. Thank you for listening and sharing our podcast with your tennis community! Please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Google Play or wherever you like to grab your podcasts!   If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the ParentingAces Podcast, click here for more information.   Find us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email me at lisa@parentingaces.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 7 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Renowned coach, Rick Macci, is back alongside his former student and current neuromuscular neurologist (more info on that in the pod!), Dr. Nivedita Uberoi Jerath aka Dr. Niva, to discuss their new book, BILLION DOLLAR MIND (https://amzn.to/3tMs021). Last year, you had the opportunity to hear from Rick about his coaching philosophy and approach to junior tennis development (https://parentingaces.com/articles/its-a-journey-ft-rick-macci/). In this episode, we delve deeper into the coaching of mindset and how that can impact a junior player's ability to perform at their best on and off the court. This new collaborative effort between coach and player/doctor combines Dr. Niva's neurological expertise with Macci's renowned coaching techniques, offering readers a practical roadmap to fortify their minds and overcome mental obstacles. BILLION DOLLAR MIND explores the intrinsic link between the mind and personal success, connecting fundamental neurology principles with the teachings that have shaped the careers of tennis stars like Venus and Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin, Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati, and Maria Sharapova under Rick Macci's guidance. The book aims to help readers: - Develop a profound understanding of the brain, senses, and the significance of thoughts. - Break free from thinking loops and negative thought patterns. - Harness the power of positive affirmations for a resilient mindset. - Cultivate self-love, practice gratitude, and build self-confidence. - Instill self-discipline, enhance focus, and nurture inner strength. For more information, and to purchase the book (ParentingAces may receive a small commission if you purchase through our Amazon link), go to https://amzn.to/3tMs021. There is also a children's version of the book for younger readers, available at https://amzn.to/3TS4o6D. To get in touch with Rick Macci, you can email him at info@rickmacci.com. He has also generously shared his phone number for those who would like to chat with him: 561-445-2747. Or visit his website at https://rickmacci.com/. Be sure to follow Rick on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube as well. To learn more about Dr. Niva, visit her website at https://drniva.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 12 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, I chat with Mark Kovacs, PhD, founder of the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) and fellow Atlanta resident, about the concept of Periodization and how best to use it with our junior tennis players. This conversation came about after I received an email from a ParentingAces listener asking for more information about what periodization really is and how she can incorporate it into her child's training and competition schedule. After sending her a few articles to read, it occurred to me that Mark Kovacs would be the best person to address this topic on the podcast.  Dr. Mark Kovacs is a renowned performance physiologist, researcher, university professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching athletes at all levels. He serves the iTPA membership as its Executive Director. He formally directed the Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning and Coaching Education departments for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the ITPA. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles and abstracts in top journals including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine, Sports Health, International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance, Strength & Conditioning Journal, Journal of Sports Science and Medicine among many others. He is currently the Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Strength & Conditioning Journal and is on the editorial board for multiple other journals including the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. He has presented workshops and keynote addresses on four continents and well over 100 presentations. Along with his academic and scientific background Dr. Kovacs is also a coach and former professional athlete. He was an All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. After playing professionally, he completed his graduate work at Auburn University and earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a certified Health/Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine, a United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach and Certified Tennis Coach. In other words, Mark knows whereof he speaks! As he mentions in the podcast, Mark was scheduled to host a Tennis Fitness Combine on March 9 in Atlanta. Unfortunately, he had to cancel that event and offers his apologies. To contact Mark via his website, click here. To find Mark on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), search @MKovacsPhd. Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our new intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. This podcast – and all of the work ParentingAces does – is supported by donations from our audience. If you are getting value from these podcasts, please consider making a donation – any size is much appreciated! – through PayPal here. You can also support ParentingAces by clicking on the ads on the right sidebar at ParentingAces.com. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 32, of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa speaks with Tim Cass, General Manager of the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona (Orlando), Florida. They discuss USTA's role in college tennis and what they are currently doing to preserve the College Tennis Pathway for US Junior Tennis Players. Tim talks about how USTA has developed 5 "buckets" around college tennis: Relevancy, Pathway, Education, Competition & Events, and Partnerships. He delves into each of the 5 areas throughout the podcast, explaining how USTA is creating opportunities for players, parents, coaches, and the universities themselves. In addition, Tim explains USTA's commitment to working with both the ITA and the NCAA to save college tennis even as over 60 programs have been cut so far in 2020. That commitment includes a grant program to assist college coaches in recruiting US players within their local region, hopefully creating more opportunities for American Juniors to find spots on college tennis rosters. To watch the video version of this week's episode, click here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and confusing. This week's guest, Renee Lopez, works with prospective student athletes (PSAs) and their families to help them find the right college programs then market themselves effectively to those programs. PSAs must find the right fit academically, athletically, and socially. The cost of the program has to come into play as well. Renee discusses the questions to ask the coaches, the admissions department, and yourself when choosing a college. Be sure to listen all the way to the end for a free offer from Renee! A seventeen-year coaching veteran, Renee Lopez has been successful both in business and sports. She has been a college soccer coach for 14 years and high school varsity coach for 3 years. She served on staff at the University of Florida and also been an NCAA Division I & II Head Coach for 11 years. In addition to being the CEO of her own leadership development and coaching education academy consulting service, she is the author of an upcoming book on the college recruiting process for student-athletes titled “Looking For A FULL RIDE?: An Insider’s Recruiting Guide” where she has interviewed 35 college coaches. (www.lookingforafullride.com) In addition to consulting with high school families, coaches, athletic directors, and guidance counselors, she regularly speaks as a keynote and teaches seminars with Fortune 500 companies, sports organizations, non-for-profits, and community groups. She runs a regular blog on the college recruiting process for high school student-athletes and she has been a guest on numerous blogs and podcasts, and radio, and has even recently been featured on ESPN Radio and SiriusXM. As a coach, she developed 3 All-Americans, was named Coach of the Year, and regularly led her teams to Academic Honors, Sportsmanship Awards, & Regional Championships. Her undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education and her graduate work from the University of Florida is in Exercise Sport Science (Sport Management/Pedagogy). She is also a certified speaker, trainer, and coach with the John Maxwell Team, Jon Gordon Company, 3Dimensional Coaching, and Positive Coaching Alliance. You can find more about her www.rlopezcoaching.com or email her at info@lookingforafullride.com. You can find her on social media as follows: Facebook Private Parent Group for those with high school student-athletes: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentsofhsathleteswantingtoplayincollege/?ref=group_cover Facebook Private Coaches Group Learning Recruiting Process: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coacheslearningrecruiting/ Facebook Private Group for principals, guidance counselors, and ADs about athletic recruiting education: https://www.facebook.com/groups/athleticrecruitingforPrincipalsADsCounselors/ Linkedin: Renee Lopez (also can be found under Looking For A FULL RIDE?) Twitter: @lookn4aFULLRIDE Instagram: Reneelopez5 A big thank you to Morgan Stone and STØNE for our music! And congratulations to him on having his first original song, TIBET, made available on iTunes and Spotify. You can find more of Morgan’s music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 19 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with Australian tennis enthusiast, Ric Curnow, about his solution to players ducking matches because of a potential negative impact on their UTR. Since the dawn of junior tennis ratings and rankings, we've seen players opt out of certain tournaments or matches due to fear of losing to a lower-ranked or lower-rated player. Rather than focusing on the benefits to be gained from playing any and all matches, some coaches, parents, and players only focus on outcomes which doesn't serve anyone well. Ric saw this happening over and over again with Tennis Australia tournaments and wanted to create a solution that could show players (and parents and coaches!) whether a match would be UTR-positive, UTR-neutral, or UTR-negative based on the ratings of the two players involved and the resulting final score. Tennis Neutral was born! Players can now input their own UTR and that of their upcoming opponent to: See the ratio of games that would return a neutral UTR result. See the minimum percentage of games in a match that generates positive UTR outcomes for both players. Enter match results to check if a result is UTR positive for either player. Ric's hope is this will reduce the stress around the unknowables of the UTR algorithm and reduce the number of withdrawals as a result of that stress. Tennis Neutral is a useful tool for coaches wanting to monitor a player's performance under differing circumstance or setting up training sessions between players at different levels. It’s an aid for any serious player, and especially for any prospective college-level player. As an added bonus, Ric donates all proceeds from the app's purchase to the Nick Kyrgios Foundation which offers sporting opportunities to underprivileged youth in Australia. It's a great cause and should make purchasing the Tennis Neutral app a no-brainer! For more information and to get the app, visit the Tennis Neutral website at https://www.tennisneutral.com/index.html. If you have additional questions for Ric, you can reach him via email at ric.curnow@anti-bias.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 2, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we're talking Tennis Tech with one of the masterminds behind the latest wearable tennis technology, Cameron Lickle. To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/xMg8ym_GPqk. Cam Lickle grew up playing tennis, went on to play for the US Naval Academy then fulfilled his military commitment as an integral member of Operation IRAQI and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. He went on to the professional tennis circuit before finding his passion for creating unique products and services in the tennis space. In 2009, Cam went into business with former World #1 Mats Wilander with their Wilander on Wheels instructional tour. From there, Cam continued working with Mats as well as Alain and Marc Cohen to develop NeuroTennis. Two key differences make this wearable technology so different from other smart tennis devices on the market.  “One major difference is that NeuroTennis coaches you while you play,” said NeuroTennis CEO, Alain Cohen. “Other tennis trackers just report statistics on speed, spin, and stroke counts, without much actionable information. NeuroTennis, on the other hand, provides coaching instructions that are synchronized with the rhythm of your hitting, as you play. Cohen stated the second revolutionary aspect of the technology is that it wirelessly connects the wristbands of two players across the court, in order to pinpoint the timing of audible coaching instructions, precisely when your opponent hits the ball. Former world No. 1 Mats Wilander was an integral part of designing NeuroTennis. “To reach the next level, I believe in modifying your game and not just measuring it,” Wilander said. “I believe that to reach your full potential, you need to train your brain just as hard as your skills and fitness.” Features and benefits of NeuroTennis include: • Two player or solo mode - NeuroTennis is most typically used in a two-player mode, meaning that the sensors in each device communicate with each other, across the court. • NeuroTennnis App - The feature-rich app allows you to select lessons and drills from an extensive library designed by world-class coaches, including Mats Wilander. Taking it to the next level, you or your coach can easily customize content to specifically address your goals. Available for iPhone and Android. • Game Modifying Technology™ - While other wearable tennis products just measure physical results, like speed and spin, NeuroTennis is about ingraining better habits and accessing your tennis skills consistently so you can raise your game while you practice. Training at higher levels leads to playing at higher levels. NeuroTennis is available now at NeuroTennis.com and sells as a pair for $329. However, ParentingAces Premium Members can get a great discount by clicking here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 24 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's conversation, I chat with Sid Newcomb, lead tester for the USPTA. For those unfamiliar with USPTA, it is one of the most highly-regarded certifying organizations for tennis coaches, and its offices are located directly across the street from the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida. The organization was founded in September of 1927 in New York and has grown to over 15,000 members in its 92 years. Member coaches must go through an education and testing process before receiving their official certification. That's where Sid Newcomb comes in! Sid is a USPTA Elite Professional and USPTA National Head Tester.  Sid loves coaching and teaching tennis to all ages and levels. He has been in the industry as a teaching pro and coach for almost 30 years. The first seven years of his career were with the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. He was the European Academy Director in Belgium, Germany, France and England. While with the NBTA, he had the opportunity to coach numerous professional and collegiate players.   Prior to joining the USPTA in 2015, Sid was the Director of Tennis at a private club in Northern California. In his current role at the USPTA, he works to set the standards and elevate the game of tennis for current and future teaching professionals. He is an integral part of the USPTA staff, and his passion and love of the tennis shines through in all that he does. Sid played collegiately at NAIA tennis power, John Brown University in Arkansas. He was nationally ranked in both doubles and singles. He had a short stint on the professional tour before he began his coaching career in 1990. Sid and I discuss what's involved in become a certified teaching pro and how the process could improve. We also discuss some of the changes coming in the next couple of years, including more extensive education around junior development and college recruiting. Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 33, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa checks back in with Coach Heath Waters of Match Tennis App about their latest feature upgrades. We all know how challenging it can be to figure out which tournaments your child should be playing. USTA? Universal Tennis? ITF? Pro Circuit? Adult Open? There are so many options and not a lot of guidance of what to play when. Match Tennis App to the rescue! They have built into the app a tournament selection feature based on your child's ranking goals. Heath walks us through the app in the video version of this week's podcast, so we urge you to check that out either on ParentingAces.com or on the ParentingAces YouTube channel. You can also read their most recent blog post at https://web.matchtennisapp.com/how-to-decide-which-tournaments-to-play/ for online tutorials and other useful information. To download Match Tennis App, click here. For more information on the app, click here. To suggest additions for the app, you can email them at support@matchtennisapp.com. I promise you will get a quick response! If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 31, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa continues her look at life after junior tennis with current college player, Allie McCray. Allie grew up in Marietta, Georgia, the same Atlanta suburb as Lisa's family. Even more coincidentally, Allie trained as a junior player at the same facility where Lisa's son trained for a period of time. As she was entering the recruiting process, Allie was determined to play Division I tennis in the SEC, the athletic conference where she had grown up watching her favorite college sports. Because she had missed a lot of tournaments due to injury, Allie knew she would have to be proactive in reaching out to college coaches to "sell" herself to them as a valuable addition for their teams. Despite doing her recruiting homework, Allie wound up having a less-than-stellar freshman year and decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal. She is getting ready to start her sophomore year in a new town, at a new college, with a new coach and teammates. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 17, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Our conversations around college tennis and COVID-19 continue this week with guest Scott Handback. Lawrence "Scott" Handback is a junior tennis coach, junior tennis official, and tennis director in North Carolina. He has developed over 70 players who have gone on to play college tennis and understands the unique nature of junior tennis development. According to Scott, there will be a new equilibrium in college athletics and it will not look anything like what we are used to. For tennis, there will be big changes coming. Those that continue the collegiate sport will look for new conferences to reduce travel costs or reduce the amount of scholarships offered by the programs. You may see NCAA Division I programs having to do the fundraising that small DII and DIII schools have to do to provide uniforms for players. As a positive, there will be fewer international players coming to the U.S. to play collegiate tennis. With the current immigration hold and the reduced staffing producing visas for international student-athletes, anyone who does not already have a visa to attend college this fall will not get one for the foreseeable future. This fall season will be a great opportunity for American junior tennis players to have opportunities to play collegiate tennis that they may not have had prior. Whatever ends up happening, the landscape of college athletics will be significantly different in the future. How quickly those changes occur - only time will tell. What will the long-term impact be? No one knows....yet. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 35 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Creator Lisa Stone, gives a brief update on what's happening at ParentingAces and what's coming on the website and podcast during the 2019 US Open. If you are going to be in New York for either Lisa's Tennis Parent Recruiting Session (click here for more info) or the US Open, please let her know so you can connect.  You can reach her via email at lisa@parentingaces.com. You can also message her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. For those of you in the San Francisco area, he is performing August 23rd at 1015 Folsom starting at 10pm. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. We have also started a Patreon page for those of you not ready to take the plunge as a Premium Member. You can make a donation of any size to support our podcast by clicking here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 36 of the ParentingAces Podcast. In this week's episode, we hear from the 2019 ITA Division I Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award Winner Isaac Perez and his college coach Dan Oosterhous. Apologies for the poor sound quality - we recorded this episode while sitting outside during Arthur Ashe Kids Day and it was just a little noisy out there! Coming from a military family, it wasn't so far-fetched that Isaac Perez would look to the military academies to further his education and tennis career. While he was a solid 4-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net, he knew he wanted to fly jets once he completed his college degree. Air Force Academy Men's Coach Dan Oosterhous said he could tell right away that Isaac would be a great fit for his academy and his team. He noticed leadership qualities in Isaac from the first time they met and was thrilled to nominate Isaac for the prestigious ITA award. You will hear from both Isaac and Coach Oosterhous about what's involved in recruiting at one of the military academies and how it differs from "civilian" programs. If you would like more information on how the military academies work, both in terms of academics and tennis, we will be doing a follow-up podcast with Coach Oosterhous very soon. In the meantime, you can contact Dan Oosterhous at Daniel.Oosterhous@usafa.edu. I know you all join me in wishing Isaac all the best as he pursues his dream of flying jets and defending our country. If he is indicative of all the men and women in our armed forces, we should all feel very well-protected! As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season and congratulations to him on his latest performance in San Francisco! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. We have also started a Patreon page for those of you not ready to take the plunge as a Premium Member. You can make a donation of any size to support our podcast by clicking here. In exchange, you will have access to extra audio and video recordings not available elsewhere, including exclusive content recorded at the recent WTCA Conference in New York. Thank you!     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being sidelined by injury is never a good thing. In the short journey that is Junior Tennis, taking even a few weeks away from training and playing can wreak havoc on development, so it becomes that much more important to keep the body healthy. In this week's podcast, Dr. Erin Boynton, an orthopaedic surgeon who is also a Tennis Parent as well as a competitive tennis player herself, talks about the specific steps juniors can - and should - take to keep their bodies performing at the highest level. We need to understand the firing patterns of the various muscles and how to warm them up properly before each training session or match. Erin suggests we parents (and coaches) do a thorough warm-up ALONGSIDE our kids to encourage proper form and performance. Erin also talks about why playing multiple sports is so important, not only in terms of injury prevention but also in terms of overall athletic development. She offers some great suggestions for coaches and academies to encourage cross-play which could help prevent burnout as well as overuse injuries.  Visit Erin's website at http://doctorerinb.com/. Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DoctorErinB/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DoctorErinB. Thank you to our sponsor 10sballs.com! Thank you, too, to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're a Tennis Parent or Coach, you know how frustrating it is to travel to a tournament only to find out the Tournament Director has decided to use short scoring due to weather or other impediments to play. This week's podcast guest, Mark Milne, has a great solution to present. Thirty30 Tennis presents a format where players start each game at the score 30-all then play out the game from there, deuces and all. This is not about no-ad scoring. It is not about sets played to 4. The only change is that each game now starts at 30-all. That's it. Everything else stays exactly the same. Since tennis seems to keep trying to shorten matches in order to maximize tv exposure and grow its fan base, maybe Mark's Thirty30 Tennis is just the solution everyone is looking for?  Mark mentions Dave Miley in our conversation - you can listen to my podcast with Dave here. Mark's call to action for all of us is to give his format a try then report the results and our thoughts on Thirty30 Tennis to him so he can compile the results into a report for the ITF in hopes of getting this format approved for play across all levels. I hope you enjoy listening to Mark's beautiful Scottish Brogue as he explains Thirty30 Tennis to all of us! Please pardon the technical snafus - I am still searching for the perfect solution to doing podcasts with my guests who are based outside the US. You can find Mark and Thirty30 Tennis online at thirty30tennis.com and as @thirty30tennis so be sure to follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can email Mark at contact@thirty30tennis.com. Read more about Thirty30 Tennis in Mark's article for The Tennis Review here. The ITF Rules of Tennis are online here. Be sure to check out Appendix 5 on Page 25! Thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 6 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. They say necessity is the mother of invention. This week's guest, inventor and CPA Ken Bright, definitely supports that statement! Ken grew up playing competitive tennis alongside other sports. While he was quite the player, even playing on his high school team, he chose another path when it was time for college. However, he always kept playing and competing, growing his love for tennis into his adult life. After noticing he was amassing quite the collection of used tennis balls in his racquet bag, Ken thought there had to be a better solution for rallying those balls to use in future practices and matches. Rally Hopper (https://rallyhopper.com/) was born! Traditional ball hoppers are awkwardly shaped, cumbersome to transport, and add unnecessary weight to your practice. Rally Hopper is a racquet-shaped ball hopper that fits into the racquet compartment of your tennis bag, holding around 30 balls. It has foldable legs which bring the balls to "grab level" during practices and can also be used to pick up the balls once empty. Taking things a step further, Ken was concerned about the amount of tennis string winding up in land fills. So, he created a way to recycle the string, using it to hold the balls in place in the Rally Hopper. Ken is now working with stringers across the US, providing them a simple way to collect their used string and ship it to him for use in this creative new tennis solution. For more information on Rally Hopper, be sure to visit the KickStarter page at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rallyhopper/rally-hopper. There you will find great photos and videos demonstrating its various uses and branding opportunities. You can also follow Rally Hopper on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rallyhopper/ where Ken will be posting purchase and branding options as they become available. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 34, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Ben Shapiro of Atlas Tennis shares their inaugural European tennis trip and plans for the 2024-25 school year. Atlas Tennis creates youth tennis camp experiences for teenagers to travel, compete, and grow both on and off the court. Its trips are designed to maximize player and personal development through travel and different tennis environments. The team behind Atlas Tennis includes not only Ben as the Director, but also former top ATP pro Eric Butorac, president of TopNotch Management Sam Duvall, former WTA pro Megan Moulton-Levy, and Andrew Chmura of Grand Slam Tennis Tours. Among them, they have decades of experience developing young tennis players, managing player travel and other needs, and competing themselves on the world stage. We have published a first-hand account of one junior player's experience on our website at https://parentingaces.com/articles/my-experience-with-atlas-tennis. For more information: Website: https://atlas.tennis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlastennis/ Newsletter: https://eepurl.com/iGsOF6 If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 42, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, Lisa chats with University of Georgia Senior, Trent Bryde, about the recent Supreme Court ruling around Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) and how Trent is maximizing the opportunity to help Junior Tennis Players through his TennisMentors program. I've known Trent since he was about 12 years old, playing the Junior Tennis Circuit in and around Atlanta. I've watched him grow up into an extremely talented player who is having a very successful college tennis career and positioning himself for success at the professional level. Trent has never been one to sit back and wait for things to be handed to him. Instead, he creates opportunities. TennisMentors is one of his creations. In high school, Trent achieved a career-high of No. 8 in the junior world rankings, competing in all four junior Grand Slams around the world. He was also invited to participate in the prestigious ITF Junior Masters event in Chengdu, China, which hosts the top 8 juniors worldwide. Currently, Trent is a four-time All-American for the University of Georgia and has reached a career-high ATP ranking of 600. Tennis Mentors is an educational initiative developed by Trent and fellow Atlantan Joseph Gandolfo who played at Georgia Tech. These two know exactly what it takes to succeed in the Juniors. No matter where you are now, their instruction will arm you with the tools and mental model you'll need to take your game to the next level. They do this through virtual and in-person consults as well as through a series of short videos. Trent is offering a nice discount to ParentingAces Premium Members which you can find at https://parentingaces.com/articles/member-discounts/ (you must be a current Premium Member to access the discount code). For more information on TennisMentors, visit their website at TennisMentors.net. You can reach Trent via Direct Message on Twitter @TrentBryde. To listen to my previous podcast with Trent, go to https://parentingaces.com/articles/trent-bryde-patrick-kypson-tennismentors-net/. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We rarely get to hear from Tennis Parents outside the US, so I was thrilled when UK Tennis Parent Sharon Gaskin agreed to come on the podcast! Sharon shares her son, Ryan's, entire tennis journey starting with his early junior years and moving to his training at Soto Tennis Academy in Spain, eventually landing in the US to play college tennis. She talks about the difficulty of working with the LTA (the UK equivalent of USTA), deciding to send her son abroad to train in his early teen years, and the challenges of college recruiting as an international PSA. Sharon mentions the relationship her son formed with Sara Borwell (hear my podcast with Sara here) in order to help him navigate the recruiting process. Things haven't gone completely smoothly, as you'll hear Sharon explain, but Ryan seems to be settling into American College Life now that he's into his 2nd semester and that the dual match season is underway. A big thank you to Sharon for taking the time to share her journey with us. Also a big thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic If you're so inclined, please share this - and all our episodes! - with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As of the taping of this week's podcast, there are 4 former college players in the Top 100 of the ATP and 2 former college players in the Top 100 of the WTA. It begs the question: is college tennis really a pathway to the pros?  In this week's podcast, Todd Widom discusses how juniors should use college as a step in their overall development process. He also talks about the Junior ITF pathway and what a Junior ITF ranking may or may not mean in terms of college recruiting. As always, Todd tells it like it is, no holds barred! He shares his own college tennis experience and how it shaped him in preparation for a professional tennis career. He also shares conversations he's had with college coaches about how they view rankings and ratings. You can find Todd online at www.twtennis.com. Thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic Thank you to Bill Kallenberg for sharing his photo of John Isner as a Georgia Bulldog. See more of Bill's photography at capturedinaction.com If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 23 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode is the audio version of a Facebook Live chat (you can watch the video version here) I had with Coach Sandy Franz discussing his work in recruiting international players to US college tennis programs as well as his newly-founded Charleston Tennis Circuit. For the last 10 years college tennis recruiting has been Sandy Franz's biggest passion. He has worked with many top international players helping them find college placement in the US. Now living in Charleston, SC, he is organizing tennis tournaments as well. His latest is a junior UTR event with strict Covid-19 restrictions on June 19-21. Sandy will help us understand the landscape of international college recruiting and discuss his new tournament circuit. For more information on the Charleston Tennis Circuit, click here. To reach Sandy, you can email him at sandy@charlestontenniscircuit.com.  As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – which we are relaunching July 1 – by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 47, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week’s episode, Lisa talks with Dr. Michelle Cleere (click here to watch/listen to our previous podcast with Dr. Cleere) about a sensitive topic: body image and body shaming in young athletes. Several weeks ago, Lisa received a DM from a parent concerned about comments her 11-year-old daughter was getting about her height. Specifically, the little girl would hear parents and other junior players say things like, "Someone needs to check that girl's birth certificate - there's no way she should be playing in the 12s!" Can you imagine how hearing those types of comments on a regular basis would make a child feel? This week's podcast is all about raising awareness around how what we say to or around children impacts them and what we can do as the adults in the room to help our children manage that impact. Dr. Michelle helps professional, junior, and age group tennis players overcome their performance challenges. It’s her passion, mission, and promise. Ultimately, she works with top athletes to help them unlock the power of the mind and create the mental toughness necessary to be the best. Dr. Michelle’s extensive academic background, which includes a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a Masters in Sports Psychology, allows her to help clients deal with performance anxiety, gain more confidence, and build resilience. You can learn more about Dr. Michelle at https://drmichellecleere.com. Email her at drmichelle@drmichellecleere.com. To purchase her book, Beating the Tennis Demons, click here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 26, of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we're talking about the mental side of tennis. But NOT for the juniors! For the Tennis Parents! Lisa Stone and Rob Polishook chat about the mental side of returning to junior competition, both from the player's and the parent's side of things. Rob is a mental training coach who works with tournament players, has written numerous article on parenting for LI/NY tennis and USTA parenting columns and talks, coached Zonals 16’s for 4 years, and has been quoted/featured in national publications like ESPN, NY Times, Sports Illustrated and others. To watch the video version of this podcast, go to https://www.youtube.com/ Rob can be reached at 973-723-0314, rob@insidethezone.com, www.insidethezone.com, Facebook and Instagram @InsideTheZone. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 7 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we hear from recent Boise State Women's Tennis graduate and psychology major, Nicole Discenza, about the importance of training mindset and mental skills alongside technique and tactics. Nicole grew up playing tennis from a very young age in her home country of Venezuela. During her teenage years, she and her family made the tough decision for her to leave home and train in the US for a year. Nicole was then recruited to play Division I tennis at Boise State University where she also took on some junior players to coach in her limited spare time. It was then that she recognized how she could help these young players develop a more positive mindset and self-awareness through their work together on the court. When Nicole graduated and was thinking about what to do next with her life, she realized by sharing her passion for helping others improve their mental state through tennis was the path she would follow. She set up an Instagram - Mindset by Nicks - and Facebook to share her knowledge through regular video posts. And she works with players individually in person and virtually online to help them develop the necessary skills to find success on and off the court. To get more information about Nicole and her work, you can direct message her on IG or Facebook. You can also email her at nicole@mindsetonlinecoaching.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 34 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa is joined by Daniel McCain and David Howell of 7 Shot Tennis. Former President and Managing Director of Universal Tennis, LLC, Dave Howell was the creative force behind Universal Tennis Ratings (UTR®). Dan McCain is a father, husband, dog lover & tennis coach and analyst. He won gold & silver balls as a junior player before playing the University of Michigan on scholarship. He was a Illinois State High School State Champion, as well as a 2-time Florida High School State Champion. For quite a while now, tennis parents and coaches have manually charted matches using a variety of symbols, abbreviations, and lingo. It's a basic way to analyze a match and use the data collected to help the player improve different aspects of their game. But what if there were a universal language around that data collection that all players and coaches understood so that they could all have a conversation using the same terminology? That's where 7 Shot Tennis comes in. Dave and Dan have been working for several years to create a map of the tennis court that helps players not only understand where they are hitting the ball (the target) but also their court position that allowed them to hit the shot (the position). By simplifying these two components and creating a language around them, Dave and Dan feel players can now better understand their strengths and shortcomings each time they play and coaches can now better evaluate what to work on in lessons and clinics. 7 Shot Tennis is the best, yet easiest to understand, approach to visualizing and remembering what happens during tennis points and to analyzing how to improve your game using that information.  Be sure to take a look at https://www.7shottennis.com/tennis-court-visualization/ to see the 7 Shot Tennis court map and for an explanation of the various targets and positions. Also, as Dave referenced during the podcast, you can find the blog about Coco Gauff at https://www.7shottennis.com/why-coco-gauff-can-become-world-1/. The 7 Shot Tennis Playbook is an interactive notebook that outlines drills, scripted plays, games and the inherent strategies within the universal language of 7 Shot Tennis. Graphic displays of target areas and diagrams of tactical positions visually show players and coaches how to use this sophisticated system to chart matches, train effectively based on recent performances, and track progress. Lots of blank match-charting, note-taking, and record-keeping forms. A great handbook for players and coaches, alike. You can purchase the playbook at https://www.7shottennis.com/product/7-shot-tennis-playbook/. For the 7 Shot Tennis video course, visit https://www.7shottennis.com/video-course/. You can also follow 7 Shot Tennis on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/7shottennis/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/7ShotTennis. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 9 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, journalist Joel Drucker is back to share his thoughts on all things junior and college tennis. Joel has been around tennis since childhood. He fell in love with the game, growing up within biking distance to courts in his West LA neighborhood. That love of tennis has taken him around the world as a sought-after journalist and thought-leader in our sport. He has watched the game change over his 6+ decades of life and has seen young hopefuls go on to win at the highest levels of the sport and others fizzle out. Joel recently wrote an in-depth article on rising young junior player, Iva Jovic, who lives and trains in Southern California. He spent time with Iva, her family, and her coaches, trying to understand who this young woman is, not only as a tennis player but also as a person. You can find Joel's article on the Tennis Recruiting website at https://tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=11532. Whenever I chat with Joel, whether at a Grand Slam or a junior tournament or just via text message, I am taken by his thoughtfulness around what it takes to succeed in tennis. He has a unique way of looking at - and writing about - the game which is unparalleled. And I always leave our conversations a little wiser and a little "curiouser" to dig deeper. This particular conversation with Joel meanders into several aspects of junior development, tennis parenting, and what happens when expectations are placed on young players too soon. I hope you'll enjoy Joel's take on our sport and will be inspired to read more of his work! You can find links to his books and articles, as well as a Contact link, on his website at http://joeldrucker.com/. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 42, of the ParentingAces Podcast!  To watch the video version: https://youtu.be/zrhRMnz-ss0 Evolve9 is a tennis consulting company which specializes in helping coaches and tennis directors set up and run amazing junior tennis programs. They have just launched a professional development certification off the back of their It's My Game online conference, which is designed to give coaches and program managers all the tools they need to attract, retain and develop amazing junior tennis players. In this episode, Lisa speaks with Evolve9's Director, Ash Smith, about how facilities and coaches can better meet the needs of their players and families. For more information, you can reach Ash at ash@evolve9.com or visit the Evolve9 website. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 21 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. For this week's pod, Lisa chats with sports parents, Mark and Britt McKinney, about their book, THE DRIVE HOME, and some of the things we can do to be better at this Tennis Parent thing. Mark and Britt have a daughter who participated in competitive cheerleading and a son who still competes in competitive junior golf. They began to realize they each had a role to play in their children's - and their family's - well-being when it came to extra-curricular pursuits and that they weren't doing things as well as they could. They sought counsel from other sports parents but also from highly-successful coaches and business leaders to improve their own sports parenting skills. As they gathered information, they realized other sports parents could likely benefit from their new-found knowledge so decided to write a book together. THE DRIVE HOME delves into the common issues all sports parents face when helping their children pursue a passion at an elite level. Mark and Britt use humor and personal anecdotes as they share stories of their own missteps and how they have learned to do better as their children are nearing the end of their junior competitive years. For more information, follow the McKinneys' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheDriveHomeYouthAthleteParentDynamic. They also have an interactive Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/225725129487601. To order THE DRIVE HOME, click https://amzn.to/3WDA2o4 (ParentingAces may receive a small commission on your order) - for bulk orders, simply email Mark and Britt at BrittandMarkTheDriveHome@gmail.com. About Mark & Britt: Mark and Britt have been married for 25 years and have walked the fairways of junior golf tournaments for roughly 10 of those. They are the proud parents to two children, Katie Britt and Ben, reside in the upstate of South Carolina, and are proud members of the roller-coaster community of golf parents.  Mark is a graduate of Clemson University, works in the software industry, and has a passion for storytelling, laughter, and anything golf.  Mark authored his first book, Faith on a Sticky Note in 2010. Britt is a lifelong educator with a passion for teaching and writing.  She describes herself as an avid golf mom who gladly gives up vacations to walk the grass fairways instead of sandy beaches.  Britt graduated from Georgia Southern University and also holds degrees from Furman University and Augusta University.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 40, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we will be discussing mental health as it relates to Junior Tennis. Specifically, we will hear from the person behind the Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament Series, Gary Poon, as he shares Matt's tragic story and how he and others have turned it into an opportunity to create a positive lasting legacy. The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament (MSJTT) Series is the first and only junior tennis tournament event in the country to promote the importance of mental health for adolescents. Inaugurated in 2019 in San Diego, the MJSTT has expanded to New York and Washington, D.C. for 2021. The series aims to address the national teen depression, anxiety, and suicide crisis by engaging adolescents through a sport they love and promoting dialogue and understanding of these issues. At ParentingAces, we feel it's very important to help educate both Tennis Parents and Junior Tennis Coaches about mental health in young athletes, especially the warning signs that a child may need help. Of course, Gary Poon and his ProtoStar Foundation share that feeling and are doing some amazing work to connect players and their families with the appropriate resources while providing competitive opportunities around the US. I hope you'll watch/listen to this week's podcast then open the door to conversations with your young player(s) to help them stay on top of their own mental health as they grow and develop their tennis game. All fees and donations from the tournaments will benefit the Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Fund, which supports junior tennis programs in low-to-moderate income areas to help make tennis accessible to all kids and provides financial aid to promising junior tennis players. A portion of the net proceeds may also be donated to the tournament site's junior tennis programs. For more information on the MSJTT and links to information on helping anyone struggling with their mental health, please visit https://www.speakingofsuicide.com/resources/. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the growth of the internet and the proliferation of online tennis sites, it's tough to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Coach Todd Widom comes to the rescue! In this first in a series of episodes devoted to the business side of tennis, Todd discusses the best way for parents to see past the bells and whistles to determine whether or not a potential coach or academy is right for their family.  Thank you for listening and sharing our podcast with your tennis community! Please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Google Play or wherever you like to grab your podcasts! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the ParentingAces Podcast, click here for more information. Please visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email me at lisa@parentingaces.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 43 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with former touring pro and current WTA coach of Marta Kostyuk, Sandra Zaniewska. Be sure to check out the video version of this episode for a peek at Marta's 6-month-old Maltipoo puppy named Mandar! Sandra, a professional tennis coach born in Warsaw, Poland and based in Southern France, shared her journey into coaching and her coaching philosophy, emphasizing the importance of understanding and nurturing the growth of junior tennis players. She also discussed the challenges and importance of guiding parents through the journey of raising a junior tennis player, and the need for collaboration and sharing experiences among coaches.  Sandra started playing tennis at age 10 and became a professional player, reaching a singles high ranking of 142. After retiring at 26, she began coaching and found it to be a fulfilling experience. Sandra credits her success to her willingness to learn from other experienced coaches and her ability to adapt to each player's unique needs. She emphasized the importance of unlearning previous coaching methods when working with a new player, a lesson she learned from Patrick Mouratoglou. She went on to discuss the importance of understanding and nurturing the growth of junior tennis players, beyond just their technical skills. She emphasized the role of a coach in guiding players to develop their natural strengths and style of play, rather than trying to mold them into a specific type. Sandra shared her personal experience as a player, highlighting the confusion and lack of confidence she faced when trying to conform to a typical style of play. She concluded that it's crucial for coaches to see players with fresh eyes and create training plans based on their unique abilities and potential. Sandra emphasized the need for coaches to be proactive and focus on being the best coach for their players, rather than fearing losing them. She also shared her experiences of writing books, with her first book, "Coaching 2.0: How to Develop Great Female Players on and off the Court," focusing on the connection with players and the mental aspect of coaching. Her second book, "Raising Champions: The Ultimate Guide for Tennis Parents," was born out of her role as a high-level director at the Mouratoglou Academy, where she was responsible for scouting and coaching top players. For more information on Sandra and her coaching philosophy, visit her website at www.sandrazaniewska.com. You can also find and follow her on social media as follows: Instagram: https://instagram.com/sandrazaniewska Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandrazaniewska/ X: http://www.twitter.com/szaniewska And don’t forget to register for our upcoming trip to Spain! More info at https://parentingaces.com/articles/join-us-for-10-days-in-spain/. The deadline is coming up at the end of November, so don't miss out! If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8 Episode 20 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode we hear from two Tennis Dads who have seen their sons rise to the highest levels of junior and college tennis. Ron Hohmann lives in New York. He grew up playing both tennis and volleyball then played Division I volleyball in college. His son, Ronnie, is choosing the tennis path instead.  You may remember my podcast with Ron and Ronnie and Ronnie's coach, Todd Widom, from a few months ago (click here to listen). Since that episode, Ronnie has had a tremendous year, winning the 2019 Easter Bowl just last month and earning a full scholarship to play tennis at LSU. Throughout his junior tennis career, Ronnie has been at the top of the national rankings, finishing as the Number 1 recruit in the 2019 class on TennisRecruiting.net. Eric Mautner grew up playing tennis, among other sports, and played at Boston University during his college years. His son, Kyle, is graduating next month from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business where he played all four years in the top spot on Penn's tennis team. Kyle was a Blue Chip recruit on TennisRecruiting.net in the 2015 class. Both Ron and Eric chose to send their sons to train with Todd Widom down in Florida at relatively young ages. Hear from these two dads about what went into their decision, what they feel their sons gained from the experience, and what they might do differently. These two dads have generously offered to answer any questions you might have. To reach Ron, you can email him at H5Roroc@aol.com. To reach Eric, you can email him at Eric.mautner@nindelivers.com.  As I mention in the podcast, our first online webinar is coming up on May 9 for our Premium Members. For more information, click here.  Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 11, Episode 3, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week we revisit the Progress Tour with its creator, Barry Fulcher. To listen to our previous podcast with Barry, click here. Barry Fulcher grew up in a Tennis Family. His parents and his siblings were avid players, so it was only fitting that Barry start honing his racquet and court skills as a toddler in the UK. His love of the game and of competition led him to a very successful junior tennis career such that he decided to go the professional route. He quickly realized his skills didn't translate well to the pro tour, so Barry decided to try his hand at coaching while continuing to compete locally. The Progress Tour was born out of Barry's frustration at the lack of quality tournaments in and around the UK. He wanted to create a place for players of all levels to come together and satisfy their desire to compete. It has now been over 3 years, and the Progress Tour is growing by leaps and bounds. While all Progress Tour events are held in the UK, they are open to players around the world. To learn more and to register for upcoming events, click here. The Compete & Earn series by Progress Tour provides an opportunity for players to earn prize money through competition. To learn more about those events, click here. You can stay abreast of new offerings by following The Progress Tour on Facebook and Instagram @theprogresstour. You can reach Barry via email at bftournamentdirector@gmail.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 29, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we dive into the high cost of junior tennis and what one Tennis Parent did to ensure her family could support their kids throughout their junior tennis journey. As the mom of a tennis player, Erinn Murray struggled to find courts and coaching that her family could afford. In her pursuit, she discovered she wasn’t the only one and far more than just her children could benefit from her efforts to bring tennis to her Texas community. Since 2006, she has been in the pursuit of affordable, accessible tennis for anyone who wants to play. She has learned how to speak at a council meeting, written more grants than she could have ever imagined and has created a facility in her community that will hopefully live in perpetuity. The 6-court facility is set and ready for 4 more courts and even 2 pickleball courts. Erinn and her staff work with hundreds of kids annually. From the littles who are just trying something new to those varsity players who are striving to play at the collegiate level. The kids' goals are their goals, plain and simple.  The path has been rewarding but also difficult. Erinn shares her story with all who ask to minimize their struggle. She has a thousand stories about ways that didn’t work, and she can also tell you what did work. To reach Erinn, email her at tennis@gvtc.com. Visit the Spring Branch Tennis Association website at springbranchtennis.com. You can also reach Erinn by phone at 830-205-1150. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 28, 2015, Tim Siegel received a phone call that tragically changed his life. In this week's ParentingAces podcast, Tim talks about his son, Luke's, golf cart accident and how his family has turned such a horrific event into a foundation dedicated to helping others. Tim grew up in tennis, achieving the highest level as a junior player, college player, and on the pro tour before moving into college coaching at Texas Tech University. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their children in Lubbock, Texas, now working full-time to care for Luke and to share Luke's story in hopes of raising funds to assist other families that have a child suffering with a traumatic brain injury. FoxTV will air a recently-produced documentary on Luke this summer (air dates listed in image below). The ITA also produced a short video on Luke which you can view at https://www.facebook.com/ITACollegeTennis/videos/vb.44553009422/10154633892519423/?type=2&theater Please take the time to visit the Team Luke Foundation website at http://teamlukefoundation.com. You can follow Luke's story on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Prayforlukesiegel/?ref=br_rs, on Twitter @TimSiegelTTU, and on Instagram @Luke.Siegel Visit us: http://parentingaces.com Contact us: lisa@parentingaces.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 20, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Did you know there are college tennis opportunities outside the US? Neither did I until chatting with this week's guest, Alistair Higham! Alistair is the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) Universities Manager, heading up its national tennis program which partners with the leading British universities to give tennis players around the world the chance to further their education while competing on the court against their peers. Alistair also leads the Great Britain Team at the World University Games as Manager/Coach. His team has won Gold and Silver Medals in South Korea in 2015; Bronze medal in European Masters in 2016; Silver and Bronze medals in Taiwan in 2017; and Gold Medal in 2017 European Masters in France (Silver Medal 2018 and 2019). In addition to his work with the LTA, Alistair is also an international expert on Matchplay and Momentum in Sport. He has authored two best selling books on momentum and a series of online learning courses available at www.coachingedgeuk.com. To reach Alistair, you can email him at Alistair.Higham@LTA.org.uk. For more information on College Tennis in the UK, go to www.lta.org.uk/universities. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast. Boy, is this a strange time for all of us. We are sheltering at home, with our kids, trying to figure out this New Normal.  Rather than release a brand new episode this week, I thought I would go back to our Archives and re-release a conversation I had with David Benzel, creator of Growing Champions for Life, from August 2012. In this episode, David and I discuss what it means to be an effective Tennis Parent and the common pitfalls we all face as we try to do what's best and right for our child(ren).  Since we're all at home anyway, why not use this time to practice some of the techniques David offers up to do better, to be better? Please do visit David's website at https://www.growingchampionsforlife.com/ and be sure to get on his email list so you're alerted to upcoming webinars and other events. David is a true gem of a human and has a lot of wisdom to share! As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 28 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Wofford Men's Tennis Coach, Rod Ray, joins Lisa to share his sports journey with his two sons and why he's found value and joy in the challenges life has thrown at him. He also talks about his recruiting philosophy and what parents and junior players need to know. When he was about 4 or 5 years old, Rod's oldest son, Cole, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Since Rod and his wife also had another son, Ashe, just 18 months younger, they had to find a way to balance Cole's needs with those of his little brother. As the boys got older, they both gravitated toward sports, not surprising given Rod's background as a collegiate tennis player and current job as the Head Coach at Wofford. Through sports, Rod was able to watch both his sons face hardships head on and learn from those situations in order to keep improving on and off the playing field. For Cole, that meant coming in last place in his track events multiple times until he was able to find a way to move up the ranks, eventually earning the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. For Ashe, that meant learning to be self-sufficient at his tennis practices and tournaments when his parents were otherwise occupied with their own jobs and the care of his older brother. Both brothers will graduate college in the coming months with a future that looks bright for both of them. Throughout their journeys, though, Rod has had his own challenges balancing his role as both Coach and Dad. He is now in the process of sharing that journey through book form, writing HARD COMES FIRST which will be published some time in 2024. For more information on Rod's process, visit his website at https://hardcomesfirst.com/ and sign up to receive his blog and join the waitlist for his book. For more information on Wofford College Tennis, a Division I program in the Southern Conference, visit https://woffordterriers.com/sports/mens-tennis and https://woffordterriers.com/sports/womens-tennis. You can reach Rod via email at Rayra@wofford.edu. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 24, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa is joined by developmental coach Marcy Hendricks. *Disclaimer: ParentingAces is providing this podcast as a public service. Reference to any specific product, service, or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by ParentingAces, Lisa Stone, or Fit For 2, Inc. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program is not and does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Always do your own due diligence before purchasing, hiring, or using any product, service, or provider. Marcy has been teaching High Performance Tennis in the Chicagoland area for 30 years. She has sent over 200 kids to prestigious colleges with full ride tennis scholarships ( Duke, Princeton, Notre Dame, Stanford, North Carolina, Georgia to name just a few). She has worked and run over 25 USTA sectional and regional camps and was the Girls 18's Fed Cup Coach for the Midwest section for 7 years and the Battle of the Sections Coach in 2023. Marcy currently serves on the USTA Coaches Commission board while continuing to work with juniors of all ages and levels. Become a Premium Member - click here to join Recently, Marcy has noticed a disturbing trend in developmental coaching and how junior players and parents respond to it. Coaches are no longer receiving the type of education and support from our governing body necessary to helping them do their jobs most effectively. Only those coaches who are intrinsically motivated to learn and improve on their own time are getting better at developing players using the most current body of knowledge and techniques employed in other parts of the world. Parents are - dare I say it? - almost too involved in their children's tennis journey while lacking the education and support necessary to ensure all parties involved have the most positive experience possible. Lucky you to have ParentingAces here to help! 😉 And the junior players are paying the price, wasting precious time with coaches who don't have the knowledge or desire to help them reach their potential. In this episode, Marcy and I talk about these issues - and more! - in hopes of effecting change in the way junior coaches are educated and supported. We would love to hear your thoughts via the Comments! To reach March directly, you can email her at marcyrooo@aol.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram and message her on either platform. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 37, of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week, Lisa speaks with former UCLA Men's Tennis standout, Karue Sell, about his recent gig as US Open Women's Singles Champion, Naomi Osaka's, hitting partner, and his move into the world of Tennis Technology. The impetus behind this week's pod was a tweet Karue posted recently: He went on to tweet about the personal growth afforded to players who choose the college route for their tennis which led me to reach out to him again and invite him on the show. Not only has Karue parlayed his college tennis career into a position as the hitting partner to the most recent Slam winner, but he has also partnered with other former college tennis players to form a new tennis website called MyTennisHQ. The site contains information for players of all levels, including technique lessons, equipment reviews, and interviews with current and former college players.  If you are interested in reaching out to Karue for more information on his company and/or for lessons for your junior player, the best way to contact him is through a message on Twitter or Instagram. To listen to Karue's conversation on the Cracked Racquets podcast, click here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 25 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Todd Widom is back to discuss how junior players can take full advantage of their time away from school to maximize their training. While we realize many junior tennis players are now opting for virtual school, summertime is still a lighter load, academically speaking, and the perfect time to maximize time working on their game both on and off the court. In this episode, Todd talks about how players can best use the summer months to get in peak physical shape, peak mental shape, and peak competitive shape. He discusses specific drills he uses with his players as well as some of the shortcomings he and his team of coaches have recently noticed in the players who come work with them in Florida. To contact Todd or to get information on his training, you can reach him at todd@twtennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram as well. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 10, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we're going to be looking at a unique way parents - and coaches - can help their players learn tennis better. To watch the video version of this week's episode, click below: https://youtu.be/Mrl7FaJXUzM So, exactly what is kinesthetic learning? It is a way of learning about the world by touching, feeling, and doing to understand a concept or skill. Often it involves the use of props and ordinary household objects to enhance and speed up the learning process. Using this approach to teaching tennis has been shown to be extraordinarily effective with beginners and advanced players as well. Coach Emma Doyle and Movement Specialist Kalindi Dinoffer have collaborated to create 90 videos across 9 modules that focus on teaching players and helping coaches develop a true feel for the game using innovative training aids and personal, energetic coaching. They share their coaching philosophy with the ParentingAces audience and demonstrate some of the techniques they use to help players improve. To purchase the Kinesthetic Learning Academy in the NEXT 24 HOURS at 50% OFF, use code HALFOFF and click here. That link will also enable you to purchase any of the OnCourtOffCourt adjunct equipment at a discount. Our Premium Members get a permanent discount which you can find here. Emma has also created a series of books and videos - ACE Tennis for Kids - which you can view and purchase here. The series includes two blue stage books (2 - 5 years), one red (5 - 8 years), one orange (7 - 9 years) and one green (9+ years) book filled with coordination and confidence-building fun activities to help you practice with your child. Again, our Premium Members get a discount as outlined here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to run into my old friend, Craig Cignarelli, at the BNP Paribas Open last weekend! It's been quite a while since we've chatted, and I knew he had some incredible knowledge to share with all of us. Thankfully, he agreed to sit down with me and talk junior development pathways and how technology is impacting today's up and coming players (and their parents). He also shares some "secrets" that coaches don't necessarily want us Tennis Parents to know, so you don't want to miss this one! In this Bonus Episode, you will hear Craig reference data regarding how many matches juniors should play and how many hours per week they should practice. You can find links to that data here. Craig also references using technology to upload video for coaches to analyze. Our friends at Tenicity can provide that service - click here for more information. Thank you to Craig for the conversation. I look forward to many more insightful episodes with him! You can find Craig on Twitter at @CraigCignarelli Thank you, too, to 10sballs.com for sponsoring my trip to Indian Wells and to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does your junior player have issues staying motivated? Has he/she had to deal with cheating in practices and/or tournaments? In Part 7 of our conversations, John Falbo discusses the intricacies of helping your player find the internal drive to succeed in tennis despite the obstacles ahead, including players who are dishonest. John stresses the importance of maintaining an open line of communication with your player throughout the development process, especially given the high cost of junior development and the small number of college scholarships available. Constant communication is key! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 5, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network! To watch the video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/V7ERtfMqXZ0 This week's guest, Brian Wilson, is a former top junior player, member of the National Championship University of Illinois Men's Tennis Team, and top 100 professional doubles player. Brian now works as the Associate Director of Junior Tennis at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas and also as the US Scout for Head Tennis. Brian not only shares his own experiences growing up in the Southern California Tennis Scene but also offers specific information on how junior players can qualify for sponsorship for racquets, string, grips, and other vital equipment. He shares his upcoming UTR Pro Series events that he will be hosting at Darling later this year. For more information on Head Tennis, follow them on Instagram @teamhead_northamerica. If you'd like to reach out to Brian via email, his address is brianwilsontennis@gmail.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast. I hope you're all staying well and continuing to stay home. In this week's show, I have the pleasure of speaking again with John O'Sullivan, soccer coach and the mastermind behind Changing the Game Project. John has recently released his latest book, EVERY MOMENT MATTERS (click here to purchase through our Amazon Shop), and we dive into its content and discuss how the lessons can apply to tennis coaches and parents. John is committed to a philosophy of athlete-centered coaching. He devotes whatever time he has - outside his own soccer coaching commitments - educating coaches, national governing bodies, and others on specific tactics to give youth sports back to the kids. During this time of sheltering at home, John is living that philosophy on a daily basis by holding virtual practices with his young athletes which he details in our conversation. To learn more about John and Changing The Game Project, click here. He is available via email at john@changingthegameproject.com. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 22 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Argentinian Tennis Parent, Hernan Chousa, is back to discuss his thoughts on being a better sports parent as well as his latest book, PARENTSHIFT. Being a former top junior and professional player himself, Hernan believed he was the best-equipped person to coach his own sons to tennis success. While things started off just fine, there came a point in their journey that Hernan realized he needed to take a step back in order to salvage what was left of his relationship with his oldest son. It dawned on Hernan that it wasn't his son who needed to change but himself. He began the long journey of self-reflection that eventually led to the healing of their relationship and speaks very candidly about that journey in this week's episode. Be sure to follow Hernan on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hernanchousa/?hl=en and Twitter at https://twitter.com/chousahernan. His courses are available for purchase on his website at https://www.hernanchousa.com/. To purchase Hernan's latest book, PARENTSHIFT: THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BECOME A SUPER PARENT, go to https://amzn.to/3oEU4SF (Note: ParentingAces may receive a small commission from your purchase). If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 24 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Tanner Stump is back this week to discuss his upcoming college showcase and why these showcases are so valuable to college-bound junior players. As you may remember from our previous conversation, Tanner is the former Associate Head Coach of the University of Florida Men's Tennis Team and is now working to help educate and mentor other college coaches. To that end, he has tapped into his extensive network to offer a great opportunity to players ages 13-18 who want to play college tennis. The inaugural Slamstox College Tennis Showcase at Michigan State University August 1-3, 2023, is open to boys and girls with a cost of $399 ($349 if you sign up before July 1st). Included are college coach panel discussions for both parents and players, singles and doubles match play in a round-robin format, and time between matches for one-on-one conversations with the college coaches themselves. You may notice the dates coincide perfectly with the start of this year's National Hardcourt tournaments in Kalamazoo and San Diego. That was no accident! Tanner is hoping players will use the showcase as a warmup event to prepare for the summer's biggest junior tournament while giving them a chance to play in front of college coaches in a less pressure-packed environment. You should also know that the showcase is a verified UTR event which means all matches CAN count toward the players' rating although Tanner has offered alternatives to that which you will hear him discuss in the podcast. Tanner has generously offered the following discounts/bonuses to the ParentingAces community - simply type "ParentingAces" in the "How did you hear about us" section of the registration form: 15% off of early bird rate ($349) if signed up before July 1 10% off of regular rate ($399) anytime before July 10 First 10 signups with ParentingAces discount code receive a free 30 min video call consultation with Tanner Stump and August 1 exclusive training session before the showcase begins For more information and to register, be sure to visit the showcase webpage at https://www.slamstox.com/en/event/college-tennis-showcase-michigan/. To reach Tanner directly, email him at tannerjstump@gmail.com. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 20, of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode is once again an audio replay of a Facebook Live interview I did last week, this time with Coach Andy Findlay of Erie, PA. As the Intense Tennis Camps' 26th-year director and with over 49 years of tennis experience, Andy Findlay brings confidence, determination, engagement, professionalism, imagination, intensity, resilience, respect, toughness to his coaching. From 1992-2003, Andy was the Head Coach at Edinboro University of PA where he was the men's PSAC Coach-of-the-Year in 2000 & '03. Also, Andy serves as co-Head Coach at the USTA Sectional Training Center (STC) in Pittsburgh and has attended 50 USTA national workshops. From 1997-2013, he coached the USTA MS Boys' 18s at national championship events in Champaign, IL and Kalamazoo, MI. Since 2012, Andy has performed National Coaching for the USTA at the L1 National Spring Team Championships in Mobile, AL and RTCs in NY, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Andy has been in meetings with tennis leaders around the US to devise a safe way to re-open tennis to junior instruction and competition. In this episode, he shares what he's learned and what he's implemented at his own tennis facility. For the resources Andy mentions, go to our COVID-19 Resources page on ParentingAces.com (click here). If you'd like an emailed copy of Andy's Waiver, please contact lisa@parentingaces.com. To watch the video version of the podcast, click here. As the COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, please know that ParentingAces is committed to continuing to bring you information and support as it relates to junior tennis and college recruiting. We have created a page on our website specifically dedicated to sharing useful tennis-related resources. You can visit it here. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our NEW intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 26, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with former top junior player and collegiate All-American and current tennis-specific nutritionist, Erika Villalobos. Erika Villalobos has transitioned from the courts to become a board-certified nutritionist with a master's in nutrition, specializing in the dietary needs of tennis players. Currently, she collaborates with elite junior and professional players, leveraging her comprehensive understanding of sports nutrition to enhance their performance.  In this episode, Erika shares specific tips and guidelines for growing junior tennis players to maximize their performance through better food and hydration choices. She discusses how and what to eat on training days as well as at the various points throughout a tournament week or weekend. Her invaluable contributions on CoachLife cover essential topics like optimal pre-training and tournament nutrition, strategies for hydration and preventing cramps, exploring the significant advantages of caffeine and creatine, and guiding athletes on the effective use of supplements. Erika’s expertise offers players a foundation for not just improving their game, but elevating their overall wellbeing through tailored nutritional strategies. Explore over 330 videos tailored for parents, coaches, and players on CoachLife.com—the premier online resource for tennis coaching knowledge. Our extensive library covers tennis-specific sports psychology, nutrition, footwork, coaching and parenting advice, detailed shot progressions, and insights into the training regimens of top players during their junior years. Learn from coaches who have shaped the careers of tennis legends such as Swiatek, Gauff, Tiafoe, Kyrgios, Fritz, Sampras, Jack Draper, Sharapova, Pegula, Tommy Paul, Roddick, Davenport, Rafter, Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, Mardy Fish, Guillermo Coria, Fernando Gonzalez, and Reilly Opelka at various stages of their development. Additionally, benefit from a comprehensive strength and conditioning program designed to improve various performance areas. Listeners can now take advantage of a 7-day free trial by visiting CoachLife.com. Plus, get an exclusive discount when you click the link in our show notes. Learn directly from the legendary junior coaches behind the world's top pros and elevate your game with CoachLife. Start your journey to tennis excellence today! Affiliate link: https://coachlife.com/?ref=EVPA Discount code: EVPA The discount code gives 5% off the 1st year's subscription - click on the affiliate link and enter the code during checkout. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 39 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Coach JY Aubone is back to talk about what he sees as gaps in the training most junior tennis players are receiving. JY works with several junior players, both in person and virtually, and he is noticing definite trends in the people he trains. Not only are they missing the mental toughness and understanding of tactics during competition and pressure situations, but they are also practicing inefficiently. What does that mean? Players need to replicate tournament situations during their daily practice sessions. That includes building their fitness, mental resiliency, and nutritional habits. And sometimes that means bringing in specialists such as sports psychologists or fitness coaches. Great tennis coaches build a network of professionals to whom they can refer players for that extra training and work. If you have more questions or would like to get in touch with JY, you can reach him via his website, AuboneTennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow JY on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 1 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. We are thrilled to kick off the year with two amazing coaches, Robert Gomez and Todd Widom, helping us understand the role of ratings and rankings in our children's tennis development. Robert Gomez is the Head of the Florida Coaches Commission, a member of the Florida Junior Competitive Counsel, and a USPTA Elite Professional. He has run professional tournaments, traveled the world to coach in other professional tournaments, and is the recently-hired Tournament Director of the Junior Orange Bowl 12s and 14s divisions. Robert also coaches junior players at all levels of the game as the head of tennis at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. Todd Widom is a former college player from the University of Miami and an ATP professional player who now runs his own tennis system in the Broward County, Florida, area. Long-time listeners of this podcast should be very familiar with Todd by now! These two coaches have known each other many years and often connect to share ideas on developing the players with whom they are working. Now, we have the opportunity to hear from both of them about how ratings - and rankings, to a lesser degree - are impacting long-term athletic development. To contact Todd or to get information on his training, you can reach him at todd@twtennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram as well. And check out his newly-redesigned website at https://twtennis.com/. To contact Robert or to get information on his training, you can reach him at robertgomez10ss@gmail.com or by phone at 786-253-8185. More information is available on his Facebook and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our last episode, we talked to you about how you can manage your college recruiting in the palm of your hand with the newest feature on the Match!Tennis App. This week, we discuss college scholarships and how best to get them. Marisa Meddin worked in marketing after a very successful college career at the University of Michigan. She found her greatest satisfaction, however, in volunteering to help high school students navigate the college application process, so she quit her corporate job to start Talk College To Me, a website devoted to guiding students through their applications and scholarship searches. In this week's episode, Marisa shares her tips for getting college scholarships in addition to - or maybe in lieu of - an athletic scholarship that may or may not be offered by the university's tennis coach. Marisa also offers an online admissions crash course FOR PARENTS which you can find here. ParentingAces listeners will receive a $50 discount off the registration fee when using code "parentingaces" (one word) during the checkout process.  Link to view more info about the course: www.talkcollegetome.com/parents Link to download the scholarship guide: https://talkcollegetome.com/parentingaces Main website: www.talkcollegetome.com Thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic If you’re so inclined, please share this - and all our episodes! - with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this second in a series of episodes devoted to the business side of tennis, Coach Todd Widom discusses how to determine what coaches and academies have really accomplished with their players. Whether it's rankings or college placements and scholarships, sometimes you have to dig deeper to truly understand what an academy's claims truly mean. Todd offers up specific questions to ask and helps parents cut through the marketing hype as they search for the right training environment for their junior players. To listen to Part 1 of this series, go to http://traffic.libsyn.com/parentingaces/Todd_Widom_podcast.output_1.mp3 You can find Todd online at www.twtennis.com or via email at todd@twtennis.com. His phone number is 954-296-5610. Thank you for listening and sharing our podcast with your tennis community! Please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Google Play or wherever you like to grab your podcasts! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the ParentingAces Podcast, click here for more information. Please check us out at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at lisa@parentingaces.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 45, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, Lisa chats with speed and agility coach, Gary Cablayan, and tennis coach, Susan Nardi, about the importance of training the whole athlete first. If you've been listening to our podcast for a while, you know Lisa is a big fan of developing the athlete first, the tennis player next. Both Gary and Susan talk about why that philosophy of youth sports development is in the best interest of the child both short-term and long-term. You will hear them describe their approach to incorporating overall athletic development into teaching specific tennis skills and why that leads to fewer injuries and less burnout. For more information on Gary, visit his website at https://m.facebook.com/EVO-Sports-Training-240777302622634/. You can contact him directly through direct message on Facebook or Instagram or via email at garycablayon@yahoo.com. For more information on Susan, visit her website at https://sportsprosconnect.com/susannardi/ and https://www.latennis.com/. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter and email her at suznardi@yahoo.com. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I will once again be covering the BB&T Atlanta Open, the kick-off men's event to the US Open Series. This year's tournament will be held at Atlantic Station in the heart of Atlanta's Midtown district July 22-30, 2017. For more information on the tournament, go to http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com. At this year's Media Day, I had the opportunity to chat with Young Guns Chris Eubanks and Trent Bryde (who is coached by Viv Chhetri and Will Wright) about their tennis goals and the role tournaments like this one play in their overall development. I also had the chance to talk to Trent's dad, Bruce, not only about Trent but also about the other two Bryde children, Karlee and Kyle, and how he and his wife, Kathi, balance the various interests of their offspring. Be sure to enter the Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In tournament(s) before the deadlines! For the Atlanta event (July 17-19) go to http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/261/. For the Baltimore event (August 12-13) go to http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/336/. If you'd simply like to make a donation to our fund which will provide grants to college tennis programs at risk of being cut, you can do so via check made payable to The Sol and sent to 70 1st Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30317 OR you can now donate via Venmo to lisa@parentingaces.com. Thank you for any support you can give! This is also the last week to take advantage of the ParentingAces discount on Match!Tennis App. If you haven't downloaded it and taken advantage of a 30-day free trial, what are you waiting for???? For more information, visit http://parentingaces.com/tennis-parents-gotta-get-app/. We hope you'll visit us online at http://www.parentingaces.com. Email lisa@parentingaces.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. To watch the video version of this week's episode, click https://youtu.be/J9-fr9zJDys. Second Serve was created two years ago by Amani and Ayanni Shah, nationally-ranked junior players out of the San Diego area. It is a youth-run non profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged kids who love tennis by supporting them with the equipment they need. ​The Shah Sisters and their team redistribute used tennis equipment to kids in underserved communities to facilitate their involvement in tennis. They have expanded their efforts to partner with multiple National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) sites in low income communities of California, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. They also now have international sites in Uganda, Mexico, India, and soon Argentina and Zimbabwe.  Now, Second Serve is not only seeking additional Team Members but also financial donations to support the shipping of equipment around the world. ParentingAces is partnering with Second Serve to help promote their mission. Ideally, we would like to help them get chapter presidents in as many cities and states as possible. We are helping to get the word out to high schoolers around the country to join their team. This will allow Second Serve to tap into more communities for donations and in turn serve greater numbers of children. It also gives junior tennis players around the country a platform to give back. Second Serve will follow up with these new team members with an email, call, and starter package.  Eventually, these Second Serve Presidents could help in many ways such as organizing and playing ‘charity exhibition’ matches where funds raised from parents and community would help pay for shipping, or even committing to providing tennis lessons and clinics this summer to Elementary and Junior High underprivileged kids. Down the road, there could even be ‘Second Serve Fellows’ who would travel to teach tennis to the underprivileged.  Once Second Serve has a big army of leaders to serve with them, the possibilities are endless! For more information and to get involved, visit https://www.secondserve.club/. To make a financial donation, visit https://www.secondserve.club/donating. To apply to become a Team Member, visit https://www.secondserve.club/join-our-team. You can also follow Second Serve on Instagram @secondserveclub. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 48, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This is our final podcast of Season 10 - we hope you've enjoyed all our guests this year and will join us again in January 2022 for the kickoff of Season 11! Lisa's guest this week is Rishav Khanal, a best-selling author and founder of Compound Career. He helps college students and recent graduates develop the career readiness skills to break into competitive job and internship programs that have been rated extremely high for overall employee happiness. Rishav grew up in Nepal and moved to the US with his family in 2006. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Rishav now lives in the Chicago area where he plays a ton of tennis and drinks celery juice each morning! Rishav brings his experience working at Under Armour and LinkedIn to ParentingAces to help us understand the unique challenges involved in transitioning from Athlete to Working Professional. Rishav has compiled his own experiences as well as that of other former athletes into the Compound Career online course. From the website, Compound Career is an online 6-week career coaching program that guarantees your child their ideal job (or internship) in their dream industry. If your child doesn’t get their ideal job within 6 weeks, Rishav works with them on a 1:1 unlimited basis at no additional cost until they're hired.  For more information and to reach Rishav, visit his website at https://compoundcareer.com/fellowship. He also runs a very informative Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/careerplanningsecrets/. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. And check out our logo’d merch in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). Have a very happy holiday season! We'll see you in 2022! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 34, of the ParentingAces Podcast! Lisa's guest this week is Coach Jay Gooding of the Gooding Todero Academy in Orlando, Florida. To watch the video version of this week's episode, click here. Jay is currently in New York coaching players as part of the Tennis Australia Coaching Team during the US Open. In this week's episode, he discusses the unique nature of this year's Open as well as his own coaching philosophy when it comes to Junior Development. Jay is committed to open communication with Tennis Parents and understands why Parents are such an integral part of the overall journey. He grew up in an era in Australia where private tennis lessons were a rare privilege and getting together with peers to play practice matches and just have fun on a tennis court were the norm. Jay encourages his players to take initiative in order to develop into top competitors, not just top ball strikers. To reach Jay, email him at jaygooding@icloud.com. You can get more information on Jay's tennis academy by visiting its website: goodingtoderoacademy.com and by following them on Instagram @gtatennis. As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you're interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven't already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 41, of the ParentingAces Podcast! To view the video version of this week's episode, go to https://youtu.be/KGaX6MbLYrE. Brittany Collens and Anna Woosley were members of the University of Massachusetts Women's Tennis Team from 2014-2017. Two weeks ago they received some very upsetting news. The NCAA is stripping UMass of victories in men’s basketball and women’s tennis for overpaying 12 athletes about $9,100 in financial aid over three years, prompting criticism of the penalty from the Atlantic 10 Conference commissioner. The NCAA announced the Committee on Infractions had imposed a two-year probation on UMass that will end October 2022 in addition to vacating results involving athletes who received what were determined to be a total of 13 inappropriate payments. For the women's tennis team, those inappropriate payments totaled $252. What is the role of the NCAA in terms of protecting student-athletes? What is the role of the NCAA in terms of ensuring fair play? Anna and Brittany answer these questions and more in this week's episode. Please consider signing their petition and helping to spread the word about this erroneous decision on the part of the NCAA. And, above all, #savecollegetennis! Brittany & Anna's Petition: https://www.change.org/p/ncaa-support-a10-champion-umass-women-s-tennis-vs-the-ncaa NCAA Statement: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ncaaorg/infractions/decisions/Oct2020D1INF_MassachusettsDecisionPublic.pdf As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 16 of the ParentingAces Podcast! I hope you've used the last couple of weeks to catch up on any episodes you may have missed! Matt Knoll had an incredible career as the Head Coach of Men's Tennis at Baylor University. A 2008 Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Matt was the Bears' head coach since their first season of Big 12 Conference competition in 1997. Before retiring at the end of the 2018 season, Matt Knoll amassed a 510-150 record as Baylor's Director of Men's Tennis. His teams captured 13 Big 12 Conference regular season titles, including eight consecutive from 2002 through 2009, and they added eight Big 12 Tournament championships. Coach Knoll brought Baylor University its first team national championship when he led the Bears to a 4-0 sweep of UCLA in the 2004 National Championship title match. He also guided BU to the 2005 National Team Indoor Championship and four additional runs to the NCAA semifinals, including a runner-up finish in 2005. A three-time National Coach of the Year, Matt was also honored as Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year six times. His teams finished seasons ranked top-four nationally six times and top-10 nationally in 13 of 22 years. Baylor joined UCLA as the nation's only programs ranked top-10 in the final national rankings every year from 2002 through 2011. Since leaving Baylor, Matt decided to move into the other side of college tennis, helping Prospective Student Athletes (PSAs) find their best fit. He started American College Placement in order to help players and their families during the recruiting process. You will hear more about how Matt and his staff work with families and what sets his service apart from the other recruiting companies out there. This June, Matt will be putting on a college tennis showcase at SMU in Dallas, Texas. The showcase is open to any tennis player currently in 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th grade. It will take place June 22-23, 2019 with Saturday reserved for boys and Sunday reserved for girls. I will be there as well, talking to the players and parents as part of a panel discussion, and I hope to see you! For more information and to register, click here. Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our new intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. To join the ParentingAces Community and have full access to all content, including discounts on a variety of products, services, webinars, and camps, click here. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. Thank you!           Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 22 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, I chat with Cory Brooks, the ITA Senior Director of Championships, Rankings and Membership about the 2019 ITA Summer Circuit. The Summer Circuit is one of my favorite series for junior players as well as incoming college freshmen and other college players looking for quality competition during their time off from school. These tournaments are held on college campuses across the US and offer the opportunity to play both singles and doubles for a relatively low entry fee. You can read more about the Summer Circuit and find all necessary links in my recent article at https://parentingaces.com/ita-summer-circuit-2019/. If you have more questions about the ITA Summer Circuit in general, you can reach Cory at cbrooks@itatennis.com or visit the ITA website. Otherwise, Cory suggests reaching out to the Tournament Directors for questions regarding specific events. You can find that contact information on the UTR event page for the particular tournament. In the podcast, you will hear Cory reference a new aspect to this year's Summer Circuit. For more information on the NCAA rule regarding prize money for college tennis players, see this excerpt from the NCAA website:  Can a student-athlete accept prize money? In all sports except tennis, a student-athlete or prospective student-athlete may accept prize money as long as the amount of the prize is less than or equal to his or her expenses for participating in the competition, such as meals or lodging. The prize money may not pay for expenses of parents or coaches. In tennis, a prospective student-athlete may accept up to $10,000 per year in prize money. Once he or she has accepted $10,000 in prize money in a particular year, he or she may accept additional prize money on a per-event basis as long as the amount of the prize does not exceed his or her expenses. A current tennis student-athlete may accept prize money as long as the amount of the prize is less than or equal to his or her expenses for participating in the competition. Thank you to my son, Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces – we have 4 options for you – by clicking here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sport Psychologist, Dr. Michelle Cleere, talks with us about why training the brain is crucial to the overall junior development process. Her approach to working with young players is to normalize the process and help them understand that they need tools to deal with the ups and downs that naturally happen during a tennis match or during training. If all a child knows how to do is throw a temper tantrum or cry, then they are more likely to give up on the sport. Instead, what if they were able to process and file away their strong emotions so they didn't get in the way of their play? This is the work that Dr. Michelle does with her young charges. She gives them the tools to develop their own mental game plan. You can learn more about Dr. Michelle at https://drmichellecleere.com. Email her at drmichelle@drmichellecleere.com. To purchase her book, Beating the Tennis Demons, go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WFG2AJG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00WFG2AJG&linkCode=as2&tag=pareaces-20&linkId=e407c93a7974ea287379cea8280e9594. DR. MICHELLE CLEERE Elite Performance Expert Dr. Michelle helps professional, junior and age group tennis players overcome their performance challenges. It’s her passion, mission, and promise. Ultimately, she works with top athletes to help them unlock the power of the mind and create the mental toughness necessary to be the best. Dr. Michelle’s extensive academic background, which includes a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a Masters in Sports Psychology, allows her to help clients deal with performance anxiety, gain more confidence, and build resilience. As many clients attest, their experience with Dr. Michelle is exactly what they needed and more than they expected – it was life changing. Dr. Michelle’s bestseller, Beating the Tennis Demons, helps clients develop practical skills to gain more control over competitive environments and mitigate the interruption in play to overcome intense odds and defeat adversity. She has been involved in many different sports and understands the stress and demands to perform at the top. As a 15-year USAT Coach, she developed simple and effective tools to mentally train her athletes, and they are used by PTR and USPTA coaches around the world. If you are interested in finding out how Dr. Michelle can help your child beat their tennis demons, email her for a free 30-minute phone consult – drmichelle@drmichellecleere.com . She works with clients remotely via Skype or phone.   Be sure to enter the Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In Tournament August 12-13 in Baltimore at http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/336/. If your child is unable to play but you would still like to support our fund to provide grants to college tennis programs at risk of being cut, you can make a donation using Venmo to my email address: lisa@parentingaces.com. Visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at lisa@parentingaces.com. Email me at lisa@parentingaces.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices