Claire is the latest Talent Coordinator to join the SPUSA team! Hear about her journey, her soccer career, and why she is so passionate about the US College pathway for Aussie Student-athletes!

Former outstanding Horton Park junior Lauren Mason has been head golf coach at one of the United States most respected universities. After being appointed assistant men's and women's golf coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2018, Lauren was named head coach in August 2019. 

Lauren is now the head coach of the women's golf program for SMU. 

Sean Fyfe is the Founder and Director of Performance Physio Fitness Health He is a leading Sports Physiotherapist, Masters Level Exercise Scientist, Level 2 Strength and Conditioning Coach and Tennis Australia High Performance Tennis Coach.  Sean has worked around the world in many different capacities including at the 2012 London Olympics, on the ATP world tour and as a Physiotherapist for London’s west End shows including the Lion King, Billy Elliott, Stomp, Rat Pack and Women in White .

Today’s Guest on In the Huddle comes to us from chilly Indiana.

James Hone started his college journey back in 2016 at Franklin College as a prized swimming recruit from Melbourne Australia. He has agreed to join us to reflect on his four - year experience and share his story of transition into the work force since his graduation.

In this episode, our Director Chris Bates sits down with two old friends; two old friends who shared a similar journey through their sport. Years on, they reflect on their junior journey, transitioning through the professional ranks and the college path. All these themes are seen on the pages on Chris’s book ‘Game Changer’ which is broken down in this episode. 

This is a must listen episode for parents of junior athletes, not just in Chris’s sport of tennis, but for all sports to help navigate the world of junior and professional sport.

In this episode, we explore the lesser - known division of Junior College, and we will do this through the eyes of a junior college softball coach. Our guest is legendary softball Coach Nic Nelson, a Junior College coach at Lakeland College in Illinois who is as passionate about junior college, recruiting and softball as they come!

Chris sits down with parents of golfer Harry Phillips, into his second year in college in Illinois. Tune in to hear another great parent perspective!

In this episode, Chris sits down with Australian basketball royalty – Olympian and NBL championship coach Brian Kerle – to discuss where it all started, his coaching philosophy and why his passion for coaching is still as strong as ever today!

Brian Kerle has spent a lifetime playing basketball, as well as selecting and nurturing great talent.

Brian is still passionate about basketball and dedicated to helping young people thrive at the game, and he draws on his experience and skill set developed as a player, coach and business manager in order to foster excellence in players on and off the court as the Head Coach and Director of the Brian Kerle Basketball Academy.

In part 2, Rupert’s passion for people, his state and country and for being a good person comes to the fore in an emotion charged reflection of his career as a poet, in media. He reflects on the life changing experiences of performing live in front of some of the worlds’ best athletes, hoping to do their careers justice in verse. How he managed to nail his poem at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli to honour the ANZACS, one of whom was his beloved grandfather and the sheer honour of inspiring thousands at ground zero in New York in his famous ‘ A Firefighters Dream’ poem at the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. The podcast wraps up with some parting words of advice for all of our young student athletes. This is a must watch and listen!

Our next guest features across two episodes or more aptly ‘stanzas’.  Rupert McCall openly and at times emotionally shares his story growing up in a sports mad family, onto a brief career a solicitor and onto world fame as Australia’s modern day Banjo Paterson. In Stanza 1 (part 1) Rupert sits down with our director Chris Bates and produces some pockets of gold when discussing the silver linings of Covid, the life lessons of travel, the art of decision making and building resilience, all highly relevant for our budding student-athletes preparing for their US College opportunity.