Me and My Racquet

Here are the first 5 minutes of Bill's interview! Unfortunately, we had some connection issues so we had to cut the recording short, but below is a brief synopsis of what we talked about: 

 What would you tell your 30 year old self teaching tennis? To not stay at the club the whole time- Go and be with your family!   Who are your mentors? Branch Curington, Ruth Lay Teaching Pro Mentors: Jerry Baskin ED: John Callen, Henry Talbert from Southern California Peers and Colleagues: Andrea Sanders and Darren Potkey Maria Cercone, Sandy Hastings, Mary Hatfield  

You have a unique hobby of collecting golf balls- what's the rough estimate of golf balls you've picked up over the years? Conservatively, more than 5k and less than 10k (and sidenote: Bill gives most of them away!)  

Rapid Fire Questions If you could have a meal with 1-3 people, who would it be: Eric Voges, Mary Hatfield, and Sandy Hastings at Champy's Chicken in Chattanooga.

 Last night's dinner: The best New York Pizza south of New York at a local place called Napoli's with my wife Bonnie and two good friends from Southern California.  

One surprising fact about yourself: I've been walking and exercising a lot more and lost 55lbs!   What are you reading/watching/or listening to right now? I watched the Superbowl (my kids knew all the words to Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 cent-- who they are now calling $1.50 since he has bulked up a little bit!). We also watched the new Jack Reacher series on Amazon Prime. 

What's one item on your bucket list? I'd like to drive across the country, to the west coast, taking my time, however long it takes in my Tesla.  When are you coming out with your cookbook about the best places to eat in the United States? It's still happening! A lot of my best eating has been at Gas Stations. Today we ate at a place called Weezer's in Gainesville, GA and the food was great there too. 

 Is there anything you'd like to mention/any shout outs? The sport I've been playing the most in the last year and a half is Pickleball and it's going to grow, but The USTA has the greatest delivery system for youth tennis/for any sport- look at the tournament structure, the coaches, the facilities, and everything that is available. There is no other sport that comes close to what tennis does for people (the opportunity, the life skills) and we need to focus on increasing the amount of junior tennis and the support for it!  

 Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Marcy Hirshberg! We talk about her tennis story, her career as an entrepreneur and founder of NetKnacks, and her involvement with adaptive tennis and Special Pops. Marcy discusses how to get involved, her upcoming trip to Israel, and her mentors along her tennis journey. She also talks dogs and hiking at Yellowstone!   

Special Pops Website:  https://www.specialpopstennis.org/ 

More Information about Adaptive Tennis: https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/who-we-are/national/about-adaptive-tennis.html 

National Tennis Month is coming up in May-- more info to come soon!

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Marcelo Ferreira! We talk about his tennis career as a player, coach, and now High Performance Tennis Manager at Windy Hill Athletic Club. We also discuss topics such as preparing your players for college, the importance of having a positive team culture, and running a successful performance academy. In addition to answering some rapid fire questions, Marcelo shares what he likes to do off court as well as some of his favorite places to travel! 

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Mark Botsch! We talk about his tennis story, career and how he came to be President of USTA Georgia. Mark shares his thoughts on how to get involved, grow tennis, and reach new players. He also talks about what he likes to do outside of tennis and answers some rapid fire questions where we discuss Harlan Coben books and the Chernobyl series!   

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Lindsey Davila! We talk about her tennis story and position as the Brand Manager for USTA Georgia. Lindsey shares her thoughts on what's going on in the world of social media and provides examples of relevant and valuable content to be posting on your socials! She also answers some rapid fire questions and we talk about what she likes to do outside of tennis- baking and crafting! 

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Keith Childree! We talk about his tennis story, what's been going on in his world in Valdosta at Lowndes Park & Rec. Authority. Keith talks about his mentors and people he has looked up to in his career and he shares what he likes to do when he is not around tennis-- fishing! He also answers some rapid fire questions and discusses what's up next for Valdosta. 

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Wes Sadler! We talk about how he got into tennis, his plans to coach at Sherwood Christian Academy in Georgia, as well as some plans for a new community tennis center in Albany. Wes offers his thoughts on playing doubles with your significant other, his coaching philosophy, and gives us some investment advice (as he is a Certified Financial Planner by day)--in addition to answering some fun rapid fire questions!   

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Grace Melrose! We talk about her professional tennis career, starting her own company (Tennis Girl Nation) and her upcoming book. She shares the latest information about Tennis Girl Nation and the upcoming training camps, one of which is in Rome, Georgia. We also discuss what she likes to do off court and she answers some rapid fire questions!  

Website: https://www.tennisgirlnation.com/

 Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Paula Umana! We talk about her collegiate and professional tennis career, overcoming the biggest challenge of her life, and her new book! We also discuss her work with after school tennis and she answers some rapid fire questions!   

Website: Paulaspeaker.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulatica 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/40-Gifts-Hope-Encouragement-suffering/dp/B09B4C9K25 

Music provided by Bensound.com

Today on the show, we have Coach Tracey Austin! We talk about Atlanta Tennis Social Club, her mentors and people she has looked up to in life, as well as what motivates her to advocate for tennis. We also do some rapid fire questions and learn about what she likes to do off court! 

Atlanta Tennis Social Club Website: https://atlantatennis1.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtlantaTennis1 

Full bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceyaustinmba/ 

Music provided by Bensound.com