ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

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 [email protected]. 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

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Siberia isn't really the first place I think of when I think "Tennis Hotbed." However, there have been some incredible players coming out of that ice-packed region of the world, including this week's guest, Aleksey Zharinov.

Aleksey considers himself a product of the Russian System of tennis development, due in large part to the commitment of his father to ensure he had a solid base in "technika" before allowing him to enter any tournaments. After making his mark at the University of Minnesota and taking a stab at the pro tour, Aleksey got into coaching and has recently published a book on the Russian System.

Aleksey has graciously offered his book at a deep discount to the ParentingAces community. Simply go to https://aztenniscoaching.com/ and enter promo code PARENTINGACES at checkout to receive your $18.00 discount.

I hope you enjoy hearing Aleksey's story and how he approaches developing juniors to their highest potential. You can email him at [email protected] or reach him by phone at (612) 730-2539.

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

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This podcast is from 2013 but warrants a listen even now! Craig is still one of the most influential coaches in my son's Tennis Journey, and his wisdom about junior development needs to be shared.

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What do you get when you cross a marketing whiz with a top-notch event planner/journalist? A new ATP tournament featuring black courts, a female-anchored exhibition, and a community event for players and fans of all ages!

Memphis's loss is Long Island's gain as the long-standing Winter Indoor event makes its move and brings top-level professional tennis to hungry fans in the form of the New York Open and Tennis Expo.

Tournament Director, Josh Ripple, and New York Open Expo creator, David Sickmen, talk about the unique aspects of this new event in this week's podcast. They are going above and beyond to bring a Total Tennis Experience to players and fans through offering an inside look (and playing opportunity) at the tournament's facility in the cutting edge NYCB Live Arena as well as interactive experiences with college coaches, top junior coaches, and the latest tennis equipment and technology. From a College Recruiting panel discussion to a fashion show and everything in between, fans are in for a fabulous FREE day of top programs, camps, products, apparel, sports medicine, travel destinations and more. To register for the Tennis Expo, click here. Your registration also serves as your FREE parking pass!

The tournament itself features many NextGen stars such as local favorite Noah Rubin, Next Gen ATP Finals Champion Hyeon Chung, and rising stars Frances Tiafoe, Jared Donaldson, and Reilly Opelka. The opening night will showcase exhibition matches from John McEnroe, James Blake, Genie Bouchard, and US Open Champ Sloane Stephens.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Thank you to Morgan Stone and STØNE for our new music! You can find more of Morgan’s original music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic

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Family practicioner, Charlotte Alabaster, originally from the UK and now living and practicing in Calgary, Canada, grew up playing tennis only recreationally but fell in love with the sport. 

As a family practice physician, Charlotte has encountered several elite youth athletes who are suffering from nutritional deficits. In this week's episode, she shares with us the specific nutritional needs of young athletes both prior to puberty and after. It varies greatly between boys and girls, and it's important that we understand how to help our young players get the required calories, vitamins, and minerals so they can reach their growth potential. 

Charlotte discusses specific food choices, the importance of reading food labels, and the various vitamins and minerals (and how best to get them). She addresses how vegans and vegetarians can meet their needs and maintain a high level of performance. She also addresses the prevalence of eating disorders in both boys and girls, the warning signs that an eating disorder may be brewing, and how parents can help their children maintain a healthy body image while also properly fueling their growing bodies.

Charlotte recommends the following resource for the latest nutrition information: Authority Nutrition

Music by: STØNE – You can find more of Morgan Stone’s original music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic.

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We all know what mental toughness is and have likely heard various ways in which to train tennis players to do better in this realm. There are many methods and many mental coaches out there, several of whom have been featured on the ParentingAces website and podcast over the years.

In this week's episode, Frank Giampaolo introduces his new book, Neuro Priming for Peak Performance (click here for more information), and helps us understand what exactly neuro priming is all about. I'm very intrigued by this method of getting in the mental zone before any type of stressful situation and will be interested to hear your thoughts on whether this approach could be successful with your player(s)!

As I mention in the podcast, Frank has generously offered a free copy of his Match Chart Collection for the ParentingAces audience. Click here to get yours! You can find this and all of Frank's books on the ParentingAces website here.

"I've been friends with Frank since I was a junior. His outside the box approach to organizing the often secret mental, emotional components is ground breaking. Neuro Priming is no exception." -- Stevie Johnson, ATP Professional

"This book is going to transform the way athletes around the globe prepare for competition. It's a must read for every athlete, parent and coach. -- Johan Kriek, 2- Time Grand slam Champion 

"Amazing new book! The best players intuitively learn their game then have to relearn it when things go astray. Neuro Priming For Peak Performance is a game changer." -- Peter Smith: USC Men's Coach

The following is taken from Frank's enewsletter, and I thought it would be of interest to my listeners/readers:

Cali Jankowski
Age Started: 9 years old
First Tournament: 10 years old
Residence: Southern California
Notable Results:

• 14’s Winter National Champion
• 14’s Intersectional National Champions Team Member
• 2 Time Henry Talbert Winner
• 16’s Intersectional National 2nd Place Team Member
• 16’s National Clay Courts 5th Place
• 16’s National Selection Winner
• 18’s Yamasaki Winner
• 18’s Mike Agassi No Quit Winner
• 18’s Ojai Winner
• 18’s National Selection Winner
• 18’s National Clay Courts 4th Place
• 18’s Stanford Eve Zimmerman/Johnson National Winner

Q: At what age did you begin your SCTA tournament career? 
A: I was ten years old when I played my first ever tennis tournament. It was a small, round-robin tournament at a local high school. I didn’t come home with any hardware but definitely caught the competitive bug.
 
Q: Did you belong to a multi-generational tennis family or did your parents have to learn right along with you? 
A: Not in the slightest! My dad played in high school and my mom played in ladies league. Neither of them had any idea what the world of competitive junior tennis was like. As a family, we were constantly learning something new about what to do and what not to do.
 
Q: How did they navigate the junior tennis wars?
A:  It was a lot of trial and error for them. We had zero connections to the tennis world, so we had to find out for ourselves what coaches and clinics were most beneficial by trying. This meant trying a place for a few weeks and then deciding whether or not to move on or stay. My parents always had my best interest at heart and knew that there would be a good coach out there to refine my skills; it was just a matter of stumbling across that club or coach.
 
Q: In the 12’s, were you getting the results you believed you were capable of achieving? 
A: I was awful in the 10’s and early 12’s. I didn’t win my first Open Tournament until I was 12. I believe this was because I played very differently from my opponents- I was a hard hitter. I fell in love with tennis because it was so fun to hit the ball really hard, so anytime I came across a pusher (Like in every tournament!), I would collapse mentally, and my strokes would fall apart. I don’t think I was getting the results I was capable of. While my first coach was a firm believer in making sure I stuck to my aggressive style, he never gave me the tools I needed to take down pushers/retrievers. This was my biggest downfall.
 
Q: What came easily to you in the 14's... what proved more difficult?
A:  I definitely started to make strides once I hit 13 or so. I was adding more dimensions to my game and adjusting my training to quality over quantity. At my peak in the 14’s, I reached about top 10 in SoCal. I was starting to understand what it took to beat any style of player. However, this mindset was very inconsistent. For me, it was difficult to maintain that high level of focus and patience for more than a few matches in a row. I finally had a massive breakthrough when I was 14; I kept my focus for an entire tournament and won the Winter Nationals, out of nowhere, as the 16 seed! This definitely gave me a huge boost of confidence.
 
Q: Your ranking skyrocketed in the 16's. What were the reasons for the results? 
A: In the 16’s, I started putting together a really strong arsenal of coaches and match play. This meant getting my butt kicked on a weekly basis by older boys and doing countless drills that I couldn’t stand. I became a lot more independent and began to take responsibility for my game- which I believe really helped my game. I started managing my practice schedule and training the way I wanted to train. Being in charge of my practices made me excited to practice and get better. I’ll be honest though, sometimes putting in the work wasn’t super fun, but winning several big tournaments in one year was :)
 
Q: What life skills has tennis taught you? 
A: Tennis has absolutely shaped me into the person I am today. It has forced me to start thinking for myself a lot younger than the average teenager. I have also become incredibly independent when it comes to running my tennis, life, house and taking care of my dog. I also learned time management and the ability to solve problems quickly. Many of the obstacles I learned to hurdled over on the tennis court, from a young age, translated over to real life. I think any tennis player of a high level can speak on this: we are a lot more prepared for college than the average teen.
 
Q: Knowing then what you know now, how could you have maximized your potential at a quicker rate? 
A: I wasted a lot of time from age 10 to about 13 ½. I should’ve been working smarter, not harder. Instead of hitting a ton of forehands crosscourt, I should’ve been refining my short angles, lobs, footwork and patterns. Strokes aside, I was very late to strengthening the mental aspect of my game. I would let my emotions run my game and determine the outcome of my matches. I still get frustrated on the court, but you will never ever see it translate to the next point. I have a very fiery personality that will never change, but it has definitely been harnessed.
 
Q: Within the 4 major components, what would you of done differently or given more attention to?

• Stroke Development 
• Athleticism
• Mental
• Emotional 

A: I would have worked on the mental and emotional components just as much as perfecting backswings and foot speed. I wish I could have spent more time off the court learning about how to manage my emotions and how to construct points. In my early tournament years, my frustrations on the court never stemmed from my bad grip or weird stroke, but from not knowing how to reset emotionally and actually play smart tennis.

Q: What type of specialized coaches, trainers & PT's are part of your entourage?
A: As of right now, I work with three different coaches. With Frank Giampaolo, I work on drilling my secondary shots and refining my mental and emotional tactics and routines. I also work with a hitting coach where we almost always do live ball or point play the entire training session. He adjusts his style of play based on what I need to work on. Then, my third coach watches, coaches and directs while I spar with another player. I also do a group fitness class twice a week and once every other week get a sports massage from the same fitness trainer. I go to the gym throughout the week as well. They weren’t kidding when they say it takes a village.
 
Q: Did you play High School tennis all four years? Why or why not? 
I enrolled in an online high school starting my freshman year. This was to ensure I could travel and train without the restrictions of a classroom from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. I have never played high school tennis and have zero regrets about not doing so. High school coaches are strict about players attending all practices and matches and I feel as though hitting with girls who only pick up a racket during tennis season would’ve done nothing for my game.
 
Q: According to ScholarshipStats.com approximately 1% of female high school tennis players receive a FULL RIDE D-1 college tennis scholarship. What college offer did you decide to take? 
A: I will be attending Arizona State University in the Fall of 2018 on a FULL RIDE.
 
Q: What parting advice can you share with the current crop of parents and athletes on this journey?
A: It sounds harsh but you kind of need to be selfish in this sport. Don’t feel the need to stick with a coach because you’ll hurt their feelings if you leave. If they are not working out, then move on and find something else. Same thing goes for the players themselves, don’t feel the need to keep playing when it starts to feel like a chore. Getting a little burnt out? Consider putting your rackets down for a little while and taking a break from tennis. The break will help you to determine if you love tennis and want to play again. It is virtually impossible to have good results when you aren’t enjoying it. Speaking of enjoying it, enjoy the wild ride of junior tennis. As someone who goes off to college in about nine months, I can confidently say that my junior tennis career has flown by. Best luck of luck to all the juniors and parents reading this!

If you would like to contact Frank Giampaolo, you can email him at [email protected]. 

Thank you for tuning into our podcast! This is the last episode for 2017, so please use the next few weeks to enjoy your time with friends and family and to catch up on any missed episodes! We have great new podcasts coming to you in 2018. Happy holidays from my family to yours!

Be sure to visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email me at [email protected]. 

In Part 3 of my series with Todd Widom, we discuss the importance of choosing a coach who has a long-term development plan for your child. 

Unfortunately for us parents, there are many coaches and academies out there who just want to keep giving your child - and charging you! - private lessons week after week, year after year regardless of how your child is developing as an overall player. These coaches may or may not have the knowledge or desire to create and implement a long-term development plan to help your child reach his/her highest potential.

In this week's podcast episode, Coach Widom helps us understand how to determine whether or not a coach has the know-how to develop a player from the beginner stage through Juniors to college and beyond.

You can find Todd online at www.twtennis.com.

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 us at [email protected].

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I had the opportunity to speak at the Middle States USPTA Conference in Philadelphia last weekend, presenting to a room full of coaches. What a treat! 

This week's podcast is a slightly edited recording of my presentation. You will hear questions from the audience (please forgive the sound quality as I was recording the whole thing on my iPhone) and my attempts at helping these coaches understand what parents want from them. We discuss communication, tournaments, rankings, college recruiting, and burnout among other things. I hope this presentation opens the door to many more opportunities to address coaches directly and help to bridge the gap between them and us.

You will hear me reference a Facebook Live video that I did regarding USPTA certification. You can find that video at https://www.facebook.com/ParentingAces/videos/1676603665745115/.

You will also hear me mention Allistair McCaw's new book, Champion Minded. You can find his book here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069279154X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=069279154X&linkCode=as2&tag=pareaces-20&linkId=d437a485e4f34c3ac4ce061b067fd289 

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.

Be sure to visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at [email protected]. 

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When Tennis Parent Extraordinaire, Steve Johnson, passed away unexpectedly in May, the tennis world was in shock. Steve was a man who devoted his life to his family and his sport, coaching not only his own son to the highest level of the game but also committing himself to helping all young players who wanted to learn and succeed in tennis.

Dennis Claus was a good friend of Steve's and decided to pull together a tournament to honor this dear man. The tournament included a Men's Open division as well as a high school division in order to further Steve's work with the high school he and his wife, Michelle, and their kids all attended - Orange High School. The proceeds of the event will go toward preserving the facilities and the tennis program at Orange.

In this week's episode, Dennis talks about the how and why of the tournament as well as his thoughts on the importance of playing high school tennis. Dennis currently coaches his local high school team as a labor of love.

For information on the joint tournament between USTA and UTR that we discuss in this episode, go to http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/761/ and https://blog.universaltennis.com/2017/11/01/usta-and-utr-partner-to-stage-a-tournament-in-orlando/. 

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 [email protected].

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