ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

Photo courtesy of Bill Kallenberg & Captured In Action

What happens when two top juniors get together to form a business while giving back to the sport they both love? TennisMentors.net!

I had the opportunity to chat with Trent Bryde and Patrick Kypson the day before their week at Kalamazoo 2017 started. They took some time away from their tournament preparation to talk about their goals as tennis players as well as in business.

Trent and Patrick have wisely partnered with Jim Harp of Harp Performance Tennis Academy to market their mentoring service to young players around the US. Jim is an experienced coach based in the Metro Atlanta area and is a huge asset to this blossoming business.

The other two mentors on board so far are Gianni Ross and Sam Riffice. They hope to eventually include some female mentors, too. 

Through their new venture, these young men hope to meet with and advise those coming up behind them. Whether it's through an online chat, a phone call, or an in-person hitting session, they will work with a player on a one-to-one level with the aim of helping the younger players reach their own tennis goals.

Be sure to check out their website at http://tennismentors.net. Huge congratulations to Patrick on winning the Boys 18s singles (and for reaching the finals of the Boys 18s doubles) at Kalamazoo last week! Please join me in wishing him all the best as he puts his US Open Wildcard to use in a few weeks!

Please visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Contact Lisa at [email protected].

Note: We are currently seeking additional sponsors for the ParentingAces podcast. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Lisa at [email protected].

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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 [email protected]. 

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The Tour Level Program was born of a vision to bring together tennis experts from around the world and to make the program accessible globally to junior, collegiate and professional tennis players. The program experts' collaborative approach enables you to add to your existing team while maintaining great synergy. Using online platforms such as Skype, they are able to offer a variety of 'off-court' online training with their experts that includes Tennis Fitness, Nutrition, Mental Training, Mindfulness, Skype Yoga and Recovery Strategies - each of them key to being a complete player. They also provide exciting Tour Mentorship opportunities with members of the tennis elite: Guy Fritz, a former touring pro and winner of the prestigious Team USA Developmental Coach of the Year in 2016, will provide ATP Tour Track Mentorship. Angelica Gavaldon, former WTA Tour world no. 30 and Fed Cup Team Captain for Mexico, will provide WTA Tour Track Mentorship. There are also in-person training options including high performance on-court coaching from former ATP Tour world no. 18 Vince Spadea (Los Angeles, CA), Guy Fritz (San Diego, CA) and Matt Hanlin (McKinney, TX). Additionally, for those located close to or willing to travel to their world experts, in-person training will be available for all aspects of the Tour Level Player Development Program. Contact Mark for more information, either using the Contact Form or by emailing [email protected]. You can reach him by phone at (310) 923-1856. Also be sure to follow them on social media: http://www.facebook.com/TourLevelProgram, http://instagram.com/tourlevelprogram, https://twitter.com/tour_level Reminder: you can still enter the 2017 Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In Tournament in Baltimore August 12-13. Go to http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/336/ - entry deadline is August 5th! Visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at [email protected].

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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 [email protected].

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 – [email protected] . 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: [email protected].

Visit us online at www.parentingaces.com. Email us at [email protected]. Email me at [email protected].

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Tim Russell, the head honcho at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), discusses how his organization is working with colleges, coaches, and communities to save and grow college tennis across the US. The ITA has developed a self-assessment tool, the Program Health Index, for college tennis programs to use in order to determine whether their team is "safe" or at risk of being cut. The assessment includes items such as the team GPA, how much community outreach the players do, and how often the college president attends matches. Tim and his staff hope this will help prevent program cuts by helping coaches learn what's important to university administrators. Tim stresses that the ITA is committed to telling the stories of college tennis, not just to the community, but also to college presidents and other decision-makers at the school. It is a tough sell since tennis is a non-revenue sport, but the Program Health Index and other tools are helping the ITA to make its case effectively. Of course, it wouldn't be a college tennis discussion without addressing the subject of international players! Tim and I delve into that topic as well. You can learn more about the ITA and its initiatives at www.itatennis.com. Just a reminder that entries are still open for the Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In tournament in Baltimore August 12-13. You can enter at http://events.universaltennis.com/tournaments/336/. Visit us at www.parentingaces.com. Email me at [email protected].

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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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected].

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Two-time Australian Open Champion, Johan Kriek, has been working hard for the past several years to change how we train junior tennis players here in the US. Last year, he moved his academy from Charlotte, NC down to the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, FL in order to maximize the opportunity for young players to train and learn.

This summer, Johan is partnering with Ten-Pro Global's Junior Tour to offer the Kriek Cup, an age-group tournament for players age U10 through U16 August 13-19, 2017.

Players can register to compete in their own age group PLUS one age group up to maximize the number of matches played with a minimum of 4 matches guaranteed to each player. On-court coaching is allowed during the set breaks. Johan's academy is also offering a special training camp the week prior to the tournament to help players adapt to the clay and to the South Florida heat and humidity.

Per the press release from the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy:

All highly talented junior tennis players around the world are invited to participate in the KRIEK CUP USA International Junior Tournament organized by TEN-PRO Global Junior Tour. The tournament which takes place at PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida during school vacation, August 13 through 19, 2017 gives the perfect possibility to combine a holiday with World top junior tournament and also promises participants an enjoyable stay at the beautiful and sunny Florida resort. This tournament is part of a very successful series that is being played at the world's most prestigious tennis academies such as the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy, Kim Clijsters Academy and the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. The Johan Kriek Tennis Academy is the first and only academy in the US to host this event.

The tournaments results are counted by UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) and will be played in separate competitions in each age category at the same time (U9), U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16. As part of the packages embedded in this great tournament, four matches are guaranteed per person with new coaching on court. Johan Kriek and the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy team will also conduct a Kriek Cup Preparatory Camp right before the tournament. For more information on the camp visit https://www.johankriektennis.com/kriek-cup-tennis-camp

For more information on the Kriek Cup, go to https://www.johankriektennis.com/events/kriek-cup-2017-this-august/

Registration is still open for both Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In Tournaments. 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/.

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

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My dear friend, Sol Schwartz, passed away suddenly in March 2016, and a group of us decided to honor his legacy and try to continue his life's work by creating a very special junior tennis tournament. The inaugural tournament was held in Sol's hometown of Baltimore in August of 2016. This year, we are excited to expand the tournament to two cities: Atlanta July 17-19 and Baltimore August 12-13.

In this week's podcast, we hear from others affiliated with the tournament as well as from Sol's wife, Ilene. My hope is that you'll feel compelled to sign your junior players up for these tournaments after hearing from them! After all, in what other junior tennis tournament is your child guaranteed 3 matches all for the low cost of $15 per day?

A huge thank you to the tournament sponsors:

10sballs.com

Holabird Sports

The Intensivist Team

Kassimir Physical Therapy

Match Tennis App

Maller Wealth Advisors

Solinco

Dunlop

Tennis Trunk

Universal Tennis Rating

Universal Tennis Academy

Voss Water

Melanie Rubin

Michael Sellman

Ilene, Dori, and Evan Schwartz

For more information on the tournaments, you can visit the following links:

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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.

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Like most of us Tennis Parents, Lindsay Lee Waters (who also happens to be a touring pro) found herself spending an inordinate amount of time dealing with her son's junior tournament scheduling. Between searching for tournaments on TennisLink, UTR, and other sites then choosing which tournaments were appropriate given her son's current level then signing up without missing the deadline then checking every few days to see if her son got in and whether the draws had been posted, Lindsay was overwhelmed. She knew there had to be a better way.

So, Lindsay and her husband, Heath, a high-performance junior coach, enlisted the help of some techies to develop an app for that. A few months later, the Match!Tennis app was born.

I won't spoil the podcast by laying out all the features of the app in the show notes, but suffice it to say that if your child plays junior tennis, you absolutely have to download it. And, the fact that, as part of the ParentingAces community, you get a 30 day free trial PLUS a 20% discount makes this a no-brainer! Here's how to take advantage of the discount:

1. Go to http://matchtennisapp.com/parenting-aces/

2. Enter promo code “acesmonth” into the promo code box during registration to get your 20% discount to a monthly Match Tennis App subscription.

3. Enter promo code “acesyear” into promo code box during registration to get your 20% discount to a yearly Match Tennis App subscription.

4. Make sure to use the correct phone number and email address during registration as you will be sent verification code to your text or email in order to secure your registration.

5. If you have any issues completing registration or need any assistance contact [email protected] and they will help you get squared away.

6. The discount codes are only good through July 15, 2017, so act quickly! The Match Tennis app is nationwide so every state in the US is able to use it and take advantage of the 20% discount.

NOTE: You will need to put in your credit card info during registration. However, you will receive a 30 day free trial to give you time to see if the app is right for you. You can easily cancel using the desktop app before the 30 day trial ends by clicking "My Account" then scrolling to the big red "Cancel Subscription" button to avoid any charges on your credit card.

Entries for the 2nd annual Sol Schwartz #SaveCollegeTennis All-In Tennis Tournament are now open. We are thrilled that Match Tennis App will be a sponsor this year! 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/.

Also, registration for the ITA Summer Circuit is now open. Go to http://www.itatennis.com/Events/ITA_Summer_Circuit.htm for information.

Visit us at www.parentingaces.com. Email me at [email protected].

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