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Host Lisa Stone discusses the various aspects of developing a tennis player from beginner through the juniors to college and beyond. Her weekly guests include experts in coaching, parenting, mental toughness, fitness & nutrition, technology & equipment, and college recruiting. Stone provides invaluable information for parents, players, and coaches.
NOTE: Please pardon the technical issues with the sound. We did our best to capture all of Lester's stories though some of the audio & video glitched along the way.
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 40 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week's episode is one that's very special to me as it features my father's college teammate, Lester Sack, who is still competing on the world stage at age 87!
Lester Sack didn't really start developing his tennis game until he showed up at the Tulane tennis courts as an 18-year-old freshman walk-on. He credits coach Emmett Pare with his success on the Tulane team and beyond.
Lester has been competing on the Seniors and Super Seniors tour ever since graduating from Tulane in 1958, earning a ranking in the top 3 nationally in every age group. He is the epitome of a lifelong learner, even now continuing to make changes and improvements to his game.
Here are just a few of his accomplishments in his illustrious tennis life:
And Lester isn't even the oldest guy out there competing on the world stage! Take a look at this article on centenarian Henry Young who also played in the recent World Team Championships in Mallorca!
I hope to have the chance to hit with Lester in the near future. In the meantime, I'll continue to follow his tennis journey as he makes his way into his 90's!
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 39 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Coach JY Aubone is back to talk about what he sees as gaps in the training most junior tennis players are receiving.
JY works with several junior players, both in person and virtually, and he is noticing definite trends in the people he trains. Not only are they missing the mental toughness and understanding of tactics during competition and pressure situations, but they are also practicing inefficiently. What does that mean?
Players need to replicate tournament situations during their daily practice sessions. That includes building their fitness, mental resiliency, and nutritional habits. And sometimes that means bringing in specialists such as sports psychologists or fitness coaches. Great tennis coaches build a network of professionals to whom they can refer players for that extra training and work.
If you have more questions or would like to get in touch with JY, you can reach him via his website, AuboneTennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow JY on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 38 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Coach Traci Green, Head Women's Tennis Coach at Harvard University, joins Lisa to share her tennis journey and what sets the Ivy League tennis programs and academics apart.
Traci Green's success as a coach follows a highly successful career as an undergraduate at the University of Florida. She was a member of the Gators' 1998 NCAA championship team and was ranked as high as No. 5 nationally in doubles and No. 12 in singles during the 1999-2000 season. Her teams won two ITA national indoor championships (1997, 1999) and ranks among Florida's career leaders in singles and doubles wins. Green was a three-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in both singles and doubles.
In addition to her coaching, Green also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Temple University College of Education, where she taught courses in the department of kinesiology. She also continues to serve as a USTA Presidential Appointee in a board adjacent role, on the board of the Black Women in Sport Foundation, on the USPTA Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and as Outgoing Board Chair of the Sportsmen's Tennis and Enrichment Center.
Coach Green cherishes her role as mentor and coach to the young women who fall under her purview at Harvard. She understands that the college years are an opportunity to grow as tennis players and as humans, preparing for life after competition.
You will hear her talk about how Harvard looks at athletics when reviewing applicants and the role of academic success when seeking a coveted spot at an Ivy League university. As Danielle McNamara explained in an earlier podcast episode, students who want to play college tennis absolutely must pursue academic excellence throughout high school.
For more information on Harvard Tennis, visit https://gocrimson.com/sports/womens-tennis. For the admission website, go to https://college.harvard.edu/admissions. You can email Coach Traci Green at tgreen@fas.harvard.edu.
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 37 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we check back in with SenseArena to see how this unique virtual reality product has morphed over the past several months.
Topics of conversation for this episode include how SenseArena is being used at the college level, how junior players can leverage SenseArena to help them be ready to be recruited and play in college, and why the new ATP partnership is so significant to the growth of technology in our sport at all levels.
Matthew Simons is the tennis business-to-business manager for SenseArena while also working as the head men's and women's tennis coach at the University of Puget Sound. He offers a unique perspective on how SenseArena can be used at both the junior and collegiate levels to help players work on the mental and physical sides of their game. You will hear Matt talk about how he's using it with his own players to help them prepare for practice sessions and competition.
Yannick Yoshizawa and his team of developers created SenseArena, enlisting the expertise and guidance of coaches and professional players to ensure a positive and beneficial user experience. You will hear him talk about why this new partnership with the men's professional tour is a huge step in the technology revolution for tennis and what else is coming in the near future.
Here is more information on the ATP partnership:
Sense Arena, the world leader in cognitive VR tennis training and The ATP have announced a new multiyear partnership allowing Sense Arena to become the Official VR Tennis Training Tool of the ATP Tour and launching a co-branded platform, ATP Tour Sense Arena.
The revamped ATP Tour Sense Arena platform will feature a new integration called Master Your Return, which will be powered by real match data and analytics from pro players on the ATP Tour and Hologic WTA Tour. This revolutionary feature will enable users to analyze and return true-to-life serves in VR from the top ATP and WTA players in the world. The new feature will complement Sense Arena’s existing serve integrations from ATP pro Jack Sock, who had his serves replicated in Sense Arena earlier this year.
Compatible with standard tennis equipment, Sense Arena allows players to get valuable off-court training in confined spaces and non-traditional environments such as basements, garages, hotel rooms and more. The innovative VR tech also allows players to train while limiting wear and tear on the body, which is especially important for players rehabbing injury.
**DISCOUNT OFFER**
Use code PARENTINGACES at checkout for a $50 discount on the annual SenseArena subscription.
For more information, be sure to visit the Sense Arena website at https://tennis.sensearena.com/. If you have questions, you can reach out to the support department at support@sensearena.com or you can email Matt at matthew.simons@sensearena.com and Yannick at yannick.yoshizawa@sensearena.com. Be sure to follow them on socials as well:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sensearenatennis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sensearena
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensearenatennis/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SenseArena
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 36 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Coach Todd Widom is back to talk about the success our US pro players are having this year and why we're not seeing more US junior players showing up on top college tennis teams.
This episode was recorded toward the end of the 2023 US Open where we saw 2 American women and 1 American man into the singles semifinals which is a big positive for US professional tennis. That said, the other side of the coin is that we are seeing fewer and fewer American juniors on the rosters of the most desirable college tennis programs. Where's the disconnect?
Todd definitely has some thoughts about what's going on in the junior tennis development landscape and what we need to do to make it better. Hint: it involves a culture shift, a parenting shift, and a coaching shift!
To contact Todd or to get information on his training, you can reach him at todd@twtennis.com. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram as well.
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 36 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa is joined by Zach Decker, Chief Marketing Officer of KT Tape.
Zach grew up in Boulder, CO with a passion for sports and wellness. He is an avid mountain biker and father of two very active kids. As a result of his interest in physical activity and sports, his role at KT was a no-brainer.
In case you're not familiar with the KT brand, it is the leading kinesiology tape brand in the nation. What is kinesiology tape? It is a product used by health care professionals to prevent and treat muscle and tendon injuries and pain such as a strained hamstring or a sore knee. If you watch professional sports of any kind, you have likely seen the colorful tape on athletes' arms or thighs to help them continue playing while preventing further injury.
KT has just launched its first mobile app, providing users with clear instructions on how, when, and why to use KT Tape. Based on consumer feedback, KT realized many people lacked confidence in applying KT Tape without professional guidance. The app, designed with input from KT's Sports Medicine Advisory Panel, offers instructional videos to help users understand the benefits, use cases, and proper application of KT tape. You can download the app for free on the App Store and Play Store.
They are also launching several new products in the coming months and recently launched the KT PRO Oxygen, the first kinesiology tape to feature CELLIANT® Infrared Technology from Hologenix. Printed on the tape’s surface, CELLIANT® mineral powder converts body heat into full-spectrum infrared energy. This delivers enhanced cellular oxygenation, bringing more oxygen to the cells and increasing local circulation.
For the full lineup of KT products, be sure to visit their website at https://www.kttape.com/. You can also find them on Instagram at https://instagram.com/kttape and Facebook at https://facebook.com/kttape.
Zach has set up a special discount for the ParentingAces community which gives you 40% off your purchase of KT Tape Pro Oxygen or Pro Extreme tape through the end of 2023. Go to https://www.kttape.com/discount/ACES?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=Referral&utm_id=parenting-aces and enter the code ACES at checkout to take advantage of this generous savings!
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 34 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa is joined by Daniel McCain and David Howell of 7 Shot Tennis.
Former President and Managing Director of Universal Tennis, LLC, Dave Howell was the creative force behind Universal Tennis Ratings (UTR®).
Dan McCain is a father, husband, dog lover & tennis coach and analyst. He won gold & silver balls as a junior player before playing the University of Michigan on scholarship. He was a Illinois State High School State Champion, as well as a 2-time Florida High School State Champion.
For quite a while now, tennis parents and coaches have manually charted matches using a variety of symbols, abbreviations, and lingo. It's a basic way to analyze a match and use the data collected to help the player improve different aspects of their game. But what if there were a universal language around that data collection that all players and coaches understood so that they could all have a conversation using the same terminology? That's where 7 Shot Tennis comes in.
Dave and Dan have been working for several years to create a map of the tennis court that helps players not only understand where they are hitting the ball (the target) but also their court position that allowed them to hit the shot (the position). By simplifying these two components and creating a language around them, Dave and Dan feel players can now better understand their strengths and shortcomings each time they play and coaches can now better evaluate what to work on in lessons and clinics. 7 Shot Tennis is the best, yet easiest to understand, approach to visualizing and remembering what happens during tennis points and to analyzing how to improve your game using that information.
Be sure to take a look at https://www.7shottennis.com/tennis-court-visualization/ to see the 7 Shot Tennis court map and for an explanation of the various targets and positions. Also, as Dave referenced during the podcast, you can find the blog about Coco Gauff at https://www.7shottennis.com/why-coco-gauff-can-become-world-1/.
The 7 Shot Tennis Playbook is an interactive notebook that outlines drills, scripted plays, games and the inherent strategies within the universal language of 7 Shot Tennis. Graphic displays of target areas and diagrams of tactical positions visually show players and coaches how to use this sophisticated system to chart matches, train effectively based on recent performances, and track progress. Lots of blank match-charting, note-taking, and record-keeping forms. A great handbook for players and coaches, alike. You can purchase the playbook at https://www.7shottennis.com/product/7-shot-tennis-playbook/.
For the 7 Shot Tennis video course, visit https://www.7shottennis.com/video-course/. You can also follow 7 Shot Tennis on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/7shottennis/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/7ShotTennis.
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 33 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Swupnil Sahai of Swing Tennis comes back to share some exciting updates to SwingVision and new partnerships on the horizon that could have a very positive effect on junior competition and college matches.
NOTE: For our previous podcasts about SwingVision, go to https://parentingaces.com/articles/bringing-ai-to-tennis-with-swupnil-sahai/, https://parentingaces.com/articles/swingtennis-ft-swupnil-sahai/, and https://parentingaces.com/articles/whats-new-with-swingvision-ft-george-opelka/
Hopefully, by now, you've heard of SwingVision and have tried this innovative app to record matches, analyze stats, and even share match highlights.
In addition to recording matches and uploading them to the cloud, the app can be used to create highlight videos to send to college coaches during the recruiting process, pull out stats of a particular stroke or shot, and share matches with all members of a player's team. It will soon be able to livestream matches, all simply by setting up a smartphone on the court and opening the app.
Over the past 4 years since first hitting the Apple App Store, Swing's AI has improved exponentially such that it can now make line calls with extremely high accuracy such that we may soon see a massive change in the way junior and college matches are officiated.
For more information on Swing, visit their website here. You can go directly to the app download page here.
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 32 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa chats with the Athletic Director of a small college and the Director of Tennis of its neighboring public tennis facility about what it takes to resurrect a college tennis program that has been defunded and unhomed.
David Orr is a former multi-sport athlete who attended Centenary College in Lisa's hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, on a soccer scholarship. After coaching soccer in the Shreveport community, he found his way back to Centenary as its Athletic Director.
Chris Dudley is a life-long tennis player who, along with his wife, moved to Shreveport to manage the iconic public facility, Querbes, just over 3 years ago. The facility had just undergone a major facelift when the Dudleys came to town, and they have continued to nurture it and its relationship to other entities in the area.
Today, these two are working closely to reinstate the Centenary Men's and Women's Tennis Teams after Centenary decided to move from Division I to Division III athletics. As part of that move, the existing tennis courts were razed to provide space for a football field, so David had to look outside the college for a place for the tennis players to practice and compete.
Because of its proximity to the college campus, Chris knew Querbes would be the perfect spot to host these collegiate athletes. He and David have been working hand in hand to hammer out the details, find the right coaches, and recruit athletes to the school. This is a partnership that can be replicated around the US where college tennis teams are losing their funding and facilities, and David and Chris are both happy to share their blueprint.
For more information on Centenary College, visit its website at https://www.centenary.edu/. You can find the athletics website at https://www.gocentenary.com/landing/index. David Orr is happy to field any questions from prospective student-athletes and their families and can be reached via email at dorr@centenary.edu.
For more information on Querbes Tennis Center, visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/QuerbesTennisCenter. Chris Dudley is available via email at chrisdudleytennis@gmail.com.
Note from Lisa: If you find yourself in the Shreveport area, do yourself a favor and visit both of these amazing spots. I grew up going to events on the Centenary campus and playing tournaments at Querbes, so both hold a big spot in my heart!
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Season 12 Episode 31 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa is joined by Amanda Fink, former top junior and college player and current developmental coach and USTA board member.
After growing up in Southern California and becoming the top junior player in her age group in the 16s and 18s, Amanda chose to play her college tennis at USC where she achieved All-American status all four years. Her tennis playing resume speaks for itself!
Moving into coaching was a logical next step once her professional playing career came to an end. She has worked with players of all ages and levels, helping them achieve their tennis goals. Amanda approaches junior tennis development in a logical and methodical manner, stressing the importance of playing practice matches as an important piece of the journey.
Along the way, Amanda became very involved with USTA, both in the Southern California section and now in the Southwest section. She sits at the table where big decisions are made regarding junior tennis and the sport overall and was happy to share some insights with the ParentingAces community.
For questions, you can reach Amanda via email at afink15@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3419937 and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/amandafinkmoore/.
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 your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Amanda is a wife. A mother. A blogger. A Christian.
A charming, beautiful, bubbly, young woman who lives life to the fullest.
But Amanda is dying, with a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know.
She starts a blog detailing her cancer journey, and becomes an inspiration, touching and
captivating her local community as well as followers all over the world.
Until one day investigative producer Nancy gets an anonymous tip telling her to look at Amanda’s
blog, setting Nancy on an unimaginable road to uncover Amanda’s secret.
Award winning journalist Charlie Webster explores this unbelievable and bizarre, but
all-too-real tale, of a woman from San Jose, California whose secret ripped a family apart and
left a community in shock.
Scamanda is the true story of a woman whose own words held the key to her secret.
New episodes every Monday.
Follow Scamanda on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Amanda’s blog posts are read by actor Kendall Horn.
