ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

Welcome to Season 8, Episode 26 of the ParentingAces Podcast! I have been traveling - A LOT! - and have not been able to schedule podcast recording sessions the past few weeks. So, in this week’s show, we throw it back to my conversation with former World #1 and current Tennis Parent, Tracy Austin. Please note: this episode hails from my days broadcasting on BlogTalkRadio, so you will hear a different intro than you're used to!

Tracy Austin shares her incredible tennis story and how she has used the lessons learned from her parents and siblings with her own children in this episode of the ParentingAces podcast, originally recorded and released in February 2015.

As you may know, Tracy's son, Brandon Holt, just finished his 4-year stint as a USC Trojan where he played at the top of the lineup starting his Freshman year. I last had the chance to see him play at the 2019 NCAA Division I Championships in May, and his game has continued to grow and develop during his time under the tutelage of coach Peter Smith. 

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!

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Welcome to Season 8, Episode 25 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's show, the topic is High School Tennis.

Corey Aldridge and Troy Simonek both grew up playing junior tennis then college tennis, and went into coaching after getting their degrees. Their commitment to growing High School Tennis in Texas has been nothing short of phenomenal. As you'll hear, they have worked alongside Universal Tennis to ensure the majority of high school teams throughout the state are now reporting scores to UTR. In addition, they have each created UTR tournaments for high school players in their respective cities, ensuring the kids have events to play when they're not in season.

Check out last week's Tweet from UTR: 

For more information on what these two guys have accomplished, be sure to check out their Facebook group here.

For information on the UTR National High School Team Tennis Tournament, click here.

To find out how UTR works with high school tennis, click here.

To read the ParentingAces article discussing UTR Fit, click here.

And, finally, to contact Corey and/or Troy via email:

• Corey: [email protected]

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!

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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!

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Welcome to Season 8, Episode 23 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this episode, I discuss the NCAAs with coach - and former University of Miami standout - Todd Widom.

If you follow ParentingAces on any social media, you are well aware the NCAA Division I Championships just concluded down in Orlando at the USTA National Campus. I was fortunate enough to be there for the team finals as well as the first day of the individual singles competition.

While Todd Widom wasn't able to be there in person, he did watch countless matches online and on Tennis Channel. He and I both have several observations to report and discuss. Tennis parents and junior coaches may learn some things to help their own players reach this highest level of College Tennis!

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!

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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 [email protected] 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: 

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!

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Welcome to Season 8 Episode 21 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this episode, we chat once again with Coach Todd Widom as a follow-up to last week's episode with the parents of 2 of Todd's players.

The focus of this week's conversation is the importance of following a step-by-step plan in junior development. Todd discusses the dangers when coaches and players try to rush the process, oftentimes leaving the player with shortcomings that are very difficult to fix down the line. Whether it's the type of ball being used or the level of tournament being played, there is a logical progression that needs to be followed in order to wind up with a player who can compete with his or her peers throughout the juniors and into college and even the professional tour.

Todd has had many young players come to him who were not taught proper technique or proper footwork or who aren't physically fit enough to withstand the rigors of junior tennis competition. As he says, it's much easier to teach those things properly from the beginning than to try to make up for deficiencies later on.

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!

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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 [email protected]. To reach Eric, you can email him at [email protected]. 

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!

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Welcome to Season 8, Episode 19 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we talk about the NCAA rule regarding a grace period between high school graduation and the start of college.

Ken is a San Diego-based coach who works with many top-level junior players, including his own niece who has committed to play her college tennis at University of California, Berkeley, starting Fall 2019. He travels the world with his players and has engaged in conversations with both US and international men and women about the struggle this NCAA rule can cause. You will hear from Ken his thoughts on why the rule is problematic and his suggestions for how it should be modified. For those of you with junior players who aspire to play college tennis at a high level, this episode is a must-listen!

You can reach Ken via his website here. He is available via email at [email protected].

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!

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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 [email protected].

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 8 Episode 17 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from two families who have chosen two very different pathways for their junior players, both with the same coach.

Over the past couple of years, I have interviewed coach Todd Widom many times. Instead of talking to the coach this week, though, I chose to speak with two sets of parents whose children are coached by Todd. You will hear from Lila and Frank Kim, who have a son and a daughter working with Todd, as well as Lisa Hendricks, who has 2 daughters working with Todd.

The Kims and the Hendricks have chosen to approach their children's tennis differently. One family chose to relocate to Florida, the other to travel there periodically for training. It is very interesting to hear the reasons for their choices as well as how their decisions are working for their children and their families overall.

Both Lila and Lisa have offered to answer any questions listeners may have. You can contact either of them via text message: 

Lila Kim 310-560-1287 

Lisa Hendricks 913-461-5765 

As you've probably heard by now, ParentingAces.com has gone to a Membership platform. The good news is it's FREE to join! Find out more here: https://parentingaces.com/exciting-changes-ahead/ and make sure to sign up for one of our membership options so you don't miss anything on ParentingAces.com.

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. Thank you!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices