ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

By: Lisa Stone

Language: en

Categories: Sports, Tennis

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.

Episodes

The Rocky Road to Pro ft Sky Kim
Oct 22, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 40 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, former top junior and pro players, Sky Kim, shares his journey through injury and recovery which led him to coaching and entrepreneurship through his company, Road to Pro.

As a child, Sky moved with his father from South Korea to South Florida to train at IMG with Nick Bollettieri. He was training alongside Maria Sharapova, Tommy Haas, and Venus and Serena Williams, among others. After going through two knee surgeries and multiple shoulder injuries, Sky decided to retire from a professional playing career to move...

Duration: 00:56:23
Better Coaches=Better Players ft Kyle LaCroix
Oct 15, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 39 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with former top junior and long-time coach and coach-educator, Kyle LaCroix.

We've kind of followed a theme in our most recent episodes, one in which we've examined the state of junior tennis coaching and how to make it a better experience for the coaches, players, and parents. The hope is that, through these conversations, we can get the ball rolling to improve coach education, parent education, and the overall experience of families and professionals involved in our sport.

Here's a little...

Duration: 00:56:12
Athlete Development: Shifting the Way We Do Business ft Sam Parfitt
Oct 08, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 38 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa is joined by Sam Parfitt, former top junior and collegiate player and the founder/CEO of The True Athlete Project (TAP).

TAP has pioneered a holistic mindfulness-based approach that unleashes sport's potential to change lives across diverse contexts. They believe sport can play a powerful role in building a happier, healthier, more compassionate world. But too often, sport fails to live up to its potential, driven by a win-at-all-costs culture that dehumanizes people and leads to dropout, burnout, bullying, and disastrous mental health outcomes. T...

Duration: 00:54:41
What Does it Take to be a Successful Parent/Coach ft Quinn Borchard
Oct 01, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 37 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from Quinn Borchard, a former top junior, college, and professional player who is now coaching his own two sons through the juniors.

Parenting a child who aspires to be the best at their pursuit - whether that's in academics, the arts, or in sports - is challenging, to say the least. Parenting that child while also acting as his primary coach adds a whole new level of challenge! Quinn Borchard has taken on the challenge with both of his young sons and is d...

Duration: 01:05:11
What Does True High Performance Coaching Look Like ft Michael Joyce & Todd Widom
Sep 24, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 36 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with WTA tour coach and former USTA National Coach, Michael Joyce, and high-performance junior coach, Todd Widom about what true high-performance coaching looks like and what it takes to make it to the top levels of our sport.

Michael was a top junior player, winning Kalamazoo in the Boys 18s, who went on to a successful professional tennis career before turning his sites to coaching. Since entering the coaching arena at age 22, he has worked with Maria Sharapova, Jessica Pegula, and Ashlyn Krueger...

Duration: 01:03:20
US Open Juniors Episode 3: The Parents
Sep 17, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 35 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This is the final in our 3-part series of interviews recorded at the 2025 US Open Junior Championships, and it’s another long one, this time featuring the Tennis Parents!

Lisa chats with the parents of Wimbledon Junior Boys Singles Finalist Ronit Karki, Kanchan Joshi; US Open Junior Boys Singles Quarterfinalist Andy Johnson, Cindy Johnson; US Open Junior Boys Doubles Champion Keaton Hance, Courtney Hance; and US Open Junior Boys Doubles Champion Jack Kennedy, Bryan Kennedy.

Please keep in mind these juniors are playing at the highest level of...

Duration: 01:04:00
US Open Juniors Episode 2: Finalists & Champions
Sep 11, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 34 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This is the second in a 3-part series of interviews recorded at the 2025 US Open Junior Championships, and it's a long one!

In this installment, Lisa talks with the Boys and Girls Finalists and Champions in both singles and doubles. You will hear from Boys Doubles Finalists, Ben Willwerth and Noah Johnston of the US; Boys Singles Finalist Alexander Vasilev of Bulgaria; Girls Singles Finalist Lea Nilsson of Sweden; Boys Doubles Champions Keaton Hance and Jack Kennedy of the US; Boys Singles Champion Ivan Ivanov of Bulgaria; and Girls...

Duration: 01:27:09
US Open Juniors Episode 1
Sep 09, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 33 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This is the first in a 3-part series of interviews recorded at the 2025 US Open Junior Championships. In this installment, Lisa talks with American junior players Ronit Karki from New Jersey, Thea Frodin from Southern California, Andrew Johnson from Southern California, and Kristina Penickova from Northern California.

The audio-only (per my media credential rules) interviews were conducted in the Media Garden at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, so please pardon the ambient sounds you may hear in the background!

These juniors all competed in both...

Duration: 00:41:43
Why I Sent a Player to Nationals Knowing He Might Not Compete ft Jack Newman
Aug 27, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 32 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week’s episode, Coach Jack Newman of the Austin Tennis Academy is back to dig deeper into his recent article (click here to read) on taking one of his alternate-listed junior players to this year's Level 1 in Kalamazoo.

Duey Evans shared Jack's article in our Facebook Group and I was very interested to read all the comments. They definitely covered a wide range of opinions, so I wanted to give Jack a platform to talk about the WHY behind his actions. My hope is that this episode wi...

Duration: 00:55:27
Keeping Our Jr Players Fit & Injury-Free ft Dr. Mark Kovacs
Aug 20, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 31 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week’s episode, Dr. Mark Kovacs is back to dive deeper into a recent social media post about the decreased fitness levels he's seeing in junior tennis players and what we can do to help our players get fit and stay injury-free.

In case you're unsure as to why you should pay attention to what Mark has to say, he is a renowned performance physiologist, researcher, university professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching athletes at all levels. He serves the iTPA mem...

Duration: 00:57:10
Beyond DI: Taking a Look at NAIA ft Hannah Keeling
Aug 13, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 30 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Coach Hannah Keeling of Georgia Gwinnett College - the winningest college tennis program in the NAIA - joins us to discuss why junior players and their families should take a closer look at this division.

Coach Keeling is a former NCAA Division II top-20 singles tennis player and earned four first-team all-conference honors in singles and doubles at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia from 2012-15. She helped the team reach a No. 4 national ranking during the 2012-13 season. Hannah earned a bachelor’s degree in...

Duration: 00:49:25
An Intennse Year of Progress ft Sadira Ouyang & Parents
Aug 06, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 29 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from 16-year-old Sadira Ouyang and her parents, Erica and JS, about Sadira's incredible progress over the past year and their thoughts on what has led her to her first seeding at a USTA Level 1 tournament.

Sadira loves tennis. Actually, Sadira LOVES tennis! Coming from a family with pretty much no tennis knowledge, she and her parents have had to figure out this junior tennis thing from scratch. Relying on other tennis parents and coaches has helped, but both Erica and JS have definitely...

Duration: 00:41:16
Our Junior Tennis Journey ft Ethan & Eyal Yurconi
Jul 30, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 28 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, father-son duo, Ethan and Eyal Yurconi, share their journey through junior tennis.

Being the Coach-Parent of a young player is definitely a challenge, but Eyal and Ethan seem to have found a great balance that works for their family. Being a former top junior and college player himself, Eyal had the lived tennis experience but lacked the coaching knowledge to help his son develop. He educated himself, earned coaching certifications, and continues to learn through platforms such as ours.

Ethan, at age 12, wants...

Duration: 01:04:42
Real Talk on Jr Development ft Pierre Arnold & Todd Widom
Jul 23, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 27 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, coaches Pierre Arnold and Todd Widom are back for some real talk around what it takes for junior tennis players - and their families - to develop to their full potential.

Long-time listeners of this pod are all too familiar with Todd Widom and his approach to developing and training players. Todd's developmental coach was Argentinian Pierre Arnold who instilled in Todd and all his players a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence. Pierre is an integral part of Todd's coaching system and recently...

Duration: 01:10:27
In-App Coach Reviews & More from SwingVision ft Swupnil Sahai
Jul 16, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 26 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Swupnil Sahai of SwingVision is back to share with us the latest - and upcoming - developments in this game-changing platform.

Not only is SwingVision changing the way we record and review matches, but it now includes a way for any player to access its extensive professional coaches marketplace to have those matches and/or lessons analyzed with in-app commentary and notes. Imagine playing a tournament match which you've recorded with SwingVision then submitting that match to a globally-recognized coach for feedback with notations and...

Duration: 00:43:48
From Bollettieri to the Big Screen ft Jordan Cox
Jul 09, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 25 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with former Wimbledon Junior Finalist, Jordan Cox, live from the Intennse Arena in Atlanta.

Jordan Cox began playing tennis at 8 years old and quickly started competing in junior events across the country & around the world. Some key junior tournament highlights include winning the singles & doubles (w Evan King) titles at the Boys 14 USTA Winter Nationals, winning the singles title at the Boys 16 USTA Hard Courts at Kalamazoo, placing 3rd at the Boys 18 USTA Hard Courts at Kalamazoo, and reaching the finals of the...

Duration: 00:55:01
Developing a Junior Slam Champion ft Mark Carruthers
Jul 02, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 24 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa is joined by coach Mark Carruthers, the early developmental coach of the 2025 French Open Junior Girls Champion, Lilli Tagger.

Mark Carruthers was born in New Zealand and is 44 years old. As a junior he was the New Zealand National Champion a number of times and played for NZ all over the world since the age of 10. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury followed by some tough mental health challenges at age 16 cut his playing career short. However, he has been coaching professionally since age 24 after earning h...

Duration: 01:07:34
A Sit-Down with Rodney Harmon & Drake Bernstein
Jun 27, 2025

During the opening weekend of the Intennse League, we had a panel discussion with the Head Women's Coaches of cross-town (friendly) rivals, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia moderated by JY Aubone and Lisa. The UGA Women won the 2025 NCAA Championship just last month.

Unfortunately, the video quality didn't come out as we had hoped but the audio is great, so you get an audio-only bonus episode this week! Hear what these two seasoned coaches have to say about junior tennis development, choosing the right coach for your child, what college coaches are looking for during...

Duration: 00:47:26
Tennis is Getting Intennse ft JY Aubone
Jun 25, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 23 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode with JY Aubone was shot live at the brand new Intennse Arena in Atlanta right before opening weekend of this exciting new way to play tennis.

JY is working with Intennse to help manage the players as well as to do the live broadcasting via Twitch. In this week's episode, he explains how Intennse works, how it fits into a junior player's overall developmental pathway, and the opportunities it holds for recently graduated college players.

I had the opportunity to watch Intennse live during...

Duration: 00:29:45
Winning Words ft Adam Blicher
Jun 18, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 22 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa is joined by former top Danish junior player and current renowned coach, podcaster, and author, Adam Blicher.

Adam Blicher is the National Coach of the Faroe Islands and has spent over a decade immersed in coaching and coach development. For six years, he served as a camp and traveling coach for the Danish Tennis Federation, helping shape the next generation of Danish talent. He is the author of Winning Words – How to Unlock Potential Through Communication and the host of Dissecting High Performance in Tenni...

Duration: 00:59:52
Attention Intention Execution ft Luca Appino
Jun 11, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 21 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with Italian talent identifier and coach, Luca Appino who is with his 14-year-old player competing in the Italian Open Junior event.

Luca started his career in Italy and for over 10 years was dedicated to the development of tennis schools in various clubs. He became experienced in management, marketing and product testing while working for industry leaders such as Dunlop, Babolat, and Fila.

Luca has dedicated a significant part of his work and research to talent scouting. For Babolat, he selected various...

Duration: 00:51:46
Upping Your TennisIQ ft Alli Barnes & Jaime Sullivan
Jun 04, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 20 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we take a deep dive into a new app designed to help players and parents better manage their training and tournaments.

Alli Barnes and Jaime Sullivan have been friends since childhood. After Jamie's last child left the proverbial nest, she was ready to let loose her entrepreneurial spirit so she reached out to Alli to collaborate on an app that combined her love of tennis with Alli's love and expertise in the health and wellness arena. TennisIQ was born!

We've done a couple...

Duration: 00:45:10
Reflections on ParentingAces & the Junior Tennis Journey ft Bode & Scott Campbell
May 28, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 19 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week’s episode, father-son duo, Scott and Bode Campbell, are back to take a look at their Junior Tennis Journey as Bode prepares to play college tennis in the Fall.

Scott has been a long-time follower of ParentingAces! This is not his and Bode's first time to appear on our podcast. They were here a little over a year ago sharing their perspective on the journey - you can find that podcast at https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/a-parent-player-perspective-on-parentingaces-ft-scott-bode-campbell/.

Now that Bode is graduating high school an...

Duration: 00:42:09
The Calm in the College Tennis Storm ft Todd Wojtkowski
May 22, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 18 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this episode, Case Western Reserve University Head Men's Tennis Coach, Todd Wojtkowski, offers a little calm after the perfect storm of our last episode. This podcast was filmed live from Claremont Mudd-Scripps in Claremont, CA, host to the 2025 NCAA DIII Men's & Women's Tennis Championships.

Todd Wojtkowski has built the Case Western Reserve University men's tennis team into one of the top programs in all of Division III during his 16 seasons at the team's helm, which includes guiding the squad to the NCAA Division III Championship in 2023, the first-ever...

Duration: 00:40:25
College Tennis's Perfect Storm ft Mark Dayton & John Parsons
May 21, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 17 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa is joined by Markus Dayton and John Parsons, both actively working in the college tennis space.

With the House vs NCAA settlement still being negotiated, there are a lot of unanswered questions, both for existing college tennis players as well as those junior players aspiring to play college tennis. There has been a lot of discussion online about the various aspects of the settlement and its impact on facets of college tennis including the transfer portal, roster limits, scholarships, and international recruiting.

...

Duration: 01:12:48
Roots to Racquets ft Jim Harp
May 14, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 16 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Coach Jim Harp is back to discuss not only his philosophy of junior tennis development but also his latest passion project, Roots to Racquets.

Jim Harp is a highly accomplished tennis coach and the founder of Harp Performance Tennis Inc., established in 2004 in Cumming, Georgia, where he continues to reside with his wife, daughter, and a variety of pets. Renowned for his expertise and dedication to the sport, Jim holds prestigious certifications as a PTR Master Coach and an ITPA Certified Performance Specialist. He is...

Duration: 00:47:36
It's 99% Mental ft Damon Valentino
May 07, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 15 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's conversation is all about the mental side of tennis and how we can help junior players and their parents develop the necessary tools to have a successful Tennis Journey.

Damon Valentino is a mental strength coach and former D1 Tennis Player at Michigan State University. He holds a Masters in Sport & Performance Psychology and is the founderof SIDE STREET Performance Coaching.

He is globally renowned as a high performance coach, facilitator and keynote speaker working with professional tennis players and coaches, ITF juniors and parents, a...

Duration: 00:56:47
What's New with UTR Sports ft Chase Hodges
Apr 30, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 14 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from the Senior Vice President of UTR Sports and former college coach, Chase Hodges.

Before coming to UTR Sports, Chase was the head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Georgia Gwinnett College where he led his teams to 15 national championships. Chase knows college tennis and he understands what junior players need in order to be ready for its challenges.

Now, in his role at UTR Sports, Chase is very involved in the junior and collegiate side of things. He is always...

Duration: 00:51:33
How to Help Jr Players Become Their Best Selves ft Chris Marquez
Apr 23, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 13 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we continue our discussion of what it takes to become a great coach and how great coaches bring out the best in their players. Coach Chris Marquez is our guest.

Chris Marquez is a nationally respected tennis coach with a career built on passion, perseverance, and a deep understanding of player development. A self-described late bloomer, Chris didn’t pick up a racquet until age 11—but by 16, he was ranked among Florida’s top 15 juniors, earning wins over top-10 players, all while coming from a modest...

Duration: 00:47:30
Does Your Coach Need a Mentor ft Aaron Rusnak
Apr 16, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 12 of the ParentingAces Podcast! If you've been watching/listening to this podcast for any length of time, you've heard me talk about the importance of mentoring. In this week's episode, Coach Aaron Rusnak of Innovative Tennis Coaching is back with us to discuss his transition from full-time on-court coaching to mentoring those coaches coming up behind him to ensure a better Junior Tennis Experience for coaches, players, and parents.


Aaron has been coaching tennis for 30 years following a stint on the USTA Pro Circuit. Recognized as one of the Top 25...

Duration: 00:58:55
Taking a Closer Look at High School Tennis ft Scott Gerber
Apr 09, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 11 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's episode is all about High School Tennis!


Scott Gerber's two children both grew up playing tennis in Ohio, including playing on their respective high school teams. As Scott watched his kids compete for their schools, he realized high school tennis wasn't getting the respect it deserved in terms of media coverage and reporting of player and match statistics. Like many resourceful parents, Scott took matters into his own hands and set up a website to track all high school tennis players and all high...

Duration: 00:45:23
Wisdom from a Seasoned Coach ft Duey Evans
Apr 02, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 10 of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week, Coach Duey Evans joins us to share his 3+ decades of junior and college tennis wisdom.

Spending much of his career in a field that often relies on dated coaching methods, Duey has continued to think outside the box and create individualized programs that result in high-performing athletes. In his coaching now, you’ll find the same creative mindset with the backing of three successful decades- lined by Ivy League players, NCAA title holders, and a nationally ranked tennis center. His 30-year education in how to coach, experience as a...

Duration: 00:54:26
Bringing Electronic Line Calling to Junior & College Tennis ft Swupnil Sahai
Mar 12, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 9 of the ParentingAces Podcast. This week, we take another look at SwingVision and its Electronic Line Calling (ELC) features and how it is being used at junior and college tennis matches.

If you've followed this podcast for any length of time, you've heard Swupnil Sahai, the co-founder and CEO of SwingVision, talk about his tennis technology, and you've witnessed the constant developments and improvements over the past several years. Last year, I had the privilege of watching SwingVision's ELC technology in action at multiple junior tournaments in the SoCal section - what a...

Duration: 00:45:05
A Virtual World Beyond Tennis ft Ridley Plummer
Mar 05, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 8 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we travel to the metaverse and the new Tennis Australia digital world of Beyond Tennis with Ridley Plummer.

Ridley Plummer is Tennis Australia’s Senior Manager Digital Sales and Metaverse, leading the Australian Open (AO) Metaverse strategy and overseeing the development of the Metaverse and Digital Innovation projects. Spearheading the AO Digital Innovation Programs, Ridley is passionate about new technology and its potential to evolve industries beyond physical sporting events into the virtual world. Ridley has been instrumental in...

Duration: 00:39:44
How to Train Mindset ft Nicole Discenza
Feb 26, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 7 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we hear from recent Boise State Women's Tennis graduate and psychology major, Nicole Discenza, about the importance of training mindset and mental skills alongside technique and tactics.

Nicole grew up playing tennis from a very young age in her home country of Venezuela. During her teenage years, she and her family made the tough decision for her to leave home and train in the US for a year. Nicole was then recruited to play Division I tennis at...

Duration: 00:53:09
Full Court Tennis ft Brian Teacher
Feb 19, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 6 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week's episode does a deep dive into the new tennis coaching digital platform, Full Court Tennis, with its creator, former top ATP Pro, Brian Teacher.

I first met Brian several years ago at the US Open Junior tournament. I've since run into him around SoCal and was excited to get him on the podcast to discuss the latest iteration of Full Court Tennis. I encourage you to watch the video version of this episode for insights as to what t...

Duration: 00:40:53
What's the Future of College Tennis ft. David Mullins
Feb 12, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 5 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week's episode is all about college tennis and what may be coming in terms of the House settlement and its conditions. Our guest is the new CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), David Mullins.

If you've been watching/listening to this podcast for a while, you may be familiar with Dave. He first appeared on ParentingAces back in 2017 in his role as a junior coach discussing how junior players could get themselves fit enough to play college tennis. H...

Duration: 00:48:59
Why Competitive Juniors are Losing Winnable Matches ft. Brett Hobden
Feb 05, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 4 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week's episode is the recording of the recent webinar Lisa hosted with Brett Hobden, co-founder of GottaTennis.

Most junior tennis coaches spend the majority of lesson time teaching and tweaking strokes, grips, and movement patterns to help their players achieve their stated goals. Rarely are these coaches in attendance at junior tournaments so they rely on (1) self-reporting or (2) parent reporting of what's happening on the match court, both of which can be unreliable and unhelpful.

GottaTennis provides...

Duration: 01:05:33
The Spanish Method ft. Chris Lewit
Jan 22, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 2 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, coach Chris Lewit revisits the pod to discuss what he's learned over his career from the top coaches and players in Spain regarding developing junior tennis players.

Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and ATP player. He is a high-performance coach, educator, and the author of three best-selling books:

The Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2.0 (2024) The Secrets of Spanish Tennis (2014) The Tennis Technique Bible


Chris has coached numerous top 10 nationally-ranked players...

Duration: 00:43:00
Tennis:Europe Summer Tennis Opportunity ft Martin Vinokur, Max Spillerman, & Dorothy Potash
Jan 15, 2025

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 2 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with the creator of Tennis:Europe, Martin Vinokur, as well as a parent and player - Dorothy Potash and Max Spillerman - who were part of the Summer 2024 program.

If you're looking for a great competitive opportunity for your teen this summer, be sure to check out Tennis:Europe. The 2025 dates work well with our Spain trip in July so players can play some matches then join us at the Nadal Academy for a week of...

Duration: 00:38:46
Welcome to Season 14! ft. Lisa Stone
Jan 08, 2025

Welcome to Season 14, Episode 1, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This is just a quick episode to kick off the year!

In case you're looking for them, our previous 13 seasons are available on our website at https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/. You can also do a search there for specific guests or topics.

We still have a few spots available for our upcoming trip to Spain! More info at https://parentingaces.com/articles/join-us-for-10-days-in-spain/. You don't want to miss this incredible opportunity!

If you’re so inc...

Duration: 00:11:10
Why You Need a PT on Your Jr Player's Team ft Kait Ireland
Nov 20, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 44 of the ParentingAces Podcast - our final episode of the Season! - a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with Doctor of Physical Therapy and Strength & Conditioning Coach, Kait Ireland, about why a physical therapist should be part of a junior athlete's team.

Kait is a soccer player turned strength & conditioning coach turned physical therapist. She has several degrees including both a Masters degree in Kinesiology (studying exercise & sports conditioning) & a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She's worked for many years as a strength & conditioning coach and completed...

Duration: 00:46:41
Coaching from the Female Perspective ft. Sandra Zaniewska
Nov 13, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 43 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with former touring pro and current WTA coach of Marta Kostyuk, Sandra Zaniewska. Be sure to check out the video version of this episode for a peek at Marta's 6-month-old Maltipoo puppy named Mandar!

Sandra, a professional tennis coach born in Warsaw, Poland and based in Southern France, shared her journey into coaching and her coaching philosophy, emphasizing the importance of understanding and nurturing the growth of junior tennis players. She also discussed the challenges and...

Duration: 00:47:46
A French Perspective on Junior Tennis Development ft. Thomas Drouet
Nov 06, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 42 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with former touring pro and current coach, Thomas Drouet.

Thomas started playing tennis at a young age when his grandfather introduced him to the sport at age 3. He was naturally drawn to the game and would spend hours hitting against a wall. At age 12, he entered the National Sports Center in France, where the top junior players trained together. At 18, Thomas transitioned from junior to professional tennis, playing for Monaco and later becoming a coach. His c...

Duration: 01:04:56
Changes Are Coming to Jr Tennis ft Colette Lewis
Oct 31, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 41 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Colette Lewis of ZooTennis joins me to discuss upcoming changes to junior tennis at both the ITF and USTA levels.

This episode was born out of an email I received from a member of the ParentingAces community asking about the potential trickle-down effect of a recent ITF announcement that coaching will be allowed at ITF Junior tournaments beginning in 2025. Who better to discuss this topic than Colette who attends several ITF Junior events throughout the year in addition t...

Duration: 00:40:07
The Value of Journaling for Junior Tennis Players ft. Mike Rogers & JY Aubone
Oct 23, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 40 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, two guests join Lisa to discuss the value and importance of journaling matches.

Those of you who have been following the pod for a while are familiar with coach JY Aubone. As he mentioned in our last episode together, he has created a hard-copy journal for junior players that incorporates a range of questions, tips, and suggestions to help players reflect on and record thoughts about their matches.

Mike Rogers is a life-long tennis player who h...

Duration: 00:49:53
How to Be a Champion Sports Parent ft John O'Sullivan & Jerry Lynch
Oct 02, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 39 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with John O'Sullivan and Jerry Lynch, authors of the newly-released book, THE CHAMPION SPORTS PARENT.

Jerry Lynch and John O’Sullivan are leadership, performance, and team culture specialists. Their work has received global acclaim in youth, high school, collegiate, and professional athletics. They are highly sought after by teams, schools, and sport governing bodies around the world for their work in athletic performance, coach education, and parent engagement. Jerry and John cohost the Way of Champions Pod...

Duration: 00:57:09
Intennse: A New Junior Team Format ft Liang-Ouyang & Mowrey Families
Sep 25, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 38 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we take an inside look at Intennse, a new team format that was recently showcased as a junior event in the Atlanta area. Lisa chats with two of the players, Sadira Ouyang and Connor Mowrey, as well as their parents about their experience.

NOTE: To watch/listen to our earlier podcast with Intennse founders, go to https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/its-time-for-time-tennis-ft-charles-allen-yannick-yoshizawa/

Intennse is a new way to compete in our sport. Per the Atlanta event website, 18 p...

Duration: 00:41:38
How to Handle Cheating ft JY Aubone
Sep 18, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we address the topic that seems to be discussed over and over among junior tennis parents and coaches: CHEATING.

What if we shifted our mindset around what is commonly called Cheating? What if we recognized it for what it is in the majority of cases: a mistake? That's the crux of this week's episode.

As a top junior and professional coach, JY recognizes that bad line calls are part and parcel of the game, at all levels...

Duration: 00:53:15
Raising Happy Champs ft Jen Harris
Sep 11, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 36, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with the mom behind Raising Happy Champs, a UK-based enterprise to help parents in all youth sports as they navigate through the obstacles of their children's chosen passion.

Jen Harris was sitting at her daughter's gymnastics meet when another parent asked her for advice with her own child. After chatting with the parent, Jen realized that with her psychology training and degree, she might be able to offer something to other sports parents that wasn't available...

Duration: 00:58:56
Atlas Tennis ft. Ben Shapiro
Aug 28, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 34, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Ben Shapiro of Atlas Tennis shares their inaugural European tennis trip and plans for the 2024-25 school year.

Atlas Tennis creates youth tennis camp experiences for teenagers to travel, compete, and grow both on and off the court. Its trips are designed to maximize player and personal development through travel and different tennis environments.

The team behind Atlas Tennis includes not only Ben as the Director, but also former top ATP pro Eric Butorac, president of...

Duration: 00:54:01
It's Time for Time Tennis ft Charles Allen & Yannick Yoshizawa
Aug 21, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 33, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we dive into a new way to play our sport that is time-limited, team-based, and provides a guaranteed income with benefits for players at the pro level.

Time Tennis seeks to rethink the game to make it more fan-friendly, more player-friendly, and more tv-friendly. This is how it works . . .

Players are drafted onto co-ed teams where they can compete in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Each match is 30 minutes of play, with a two-minute half-time show f...

Duration: 00:45:49
A Parent's Journey Through Tennis ft. Anirban Dutta
Aug 14, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 32, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, tennis parent and entrepreneur, Anirban Dutta, shares his journey through junior tennis with his twins, Maya and Jai, and the creation of Tennis Wizard.

This episode all started with a Facebook post (see below) Anirban made in one of our groups about his recent experience at Junior Wimbledon as Maya competed there. As he and Lisa spoke, he was able to share details about the differences in his two kids' pathways, which are both leading them successfully to p...

Duration: 01:03:13
Tennis as a Means to See the World ft. Marcelo Ferreira
Aug 07, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 31, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we are joined by coach Marcelo Ferreira, former Men's Tennis Coach at Texas Tech and Pepperdine and High Performance Manager at the Windy Hill Athletic Club in Atlanta, GA.

Marcelo recently returned from a European Adventure with several of his players and their families where the kids trained, watched some incredible professional tennis, and had the opportunity to interact with some of the pros. As you will hear, Marcelo had several goals for this trip, not the least o...

Duration: 00:42:55
What Are All These NCAA Tennis Changes & How Will They Impact Recruiting ft. Dave Mullins
Aug 01, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 30, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this Bonus Episode, incoming ITA CEO, Dave Mullins, walks us through last week's House Settlement regarding NCAA Division I Tennis and how it could impact recruiting across all divisions of college tennis.

Dave will be stepping in as the ITA CEO on January 1, 2025, but he has been involved in college tennis as a player, coach, and on the governance side for decades now. He has appeared on this podcast numerous times over the years and has always been forthcoming w...

Duration: 00:50:57
How Can We Make Jr Tennis Affordable ft Erinn Murray
Jul 31, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 29, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we dive into the high cost of junior tennis and what one Tennis Parent did to ensure her family could support their kids throughout their junior tennis journey.

As the mom of a tennis player, Erinn Murray struggled to find courts and coaching that her family could afford. In her pursuit, she discovered she wasn’t the only one and far more than just her children could benefit from her efforts to bring tennis to her Texas community.

<...

Duration: 00:53:18
How to Use Stats to Help Your Player Improve ft. Joey Blake
Jul 24, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 28, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Coach Joey Blake shares how parents and junior coaches can best use match charting throughout the junior development journey.

Joey Blake is a former world-ranked professional tennis player and was one of the best junior tennis players in the 1980’s. Blake was raised in Las Vegas, NV. Blake was a U.S. Open Junior Doubles Champion as well as a finalist in singles. He attended the University of Arkansas on a full tennis scholarship, where he became the fi...

Duration: 00:57:28
Intensify Your Workouts with WearBands ft. Daniel Schreiber
Jul 17, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 27, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we learn about a new product to enhance on- and off-court training with a portable and wearable apparatus.

WearBands is an innovative tool to make your workouts more effective while avoiding over-stressing growing bones and connective tissue. The WearBands system is designed to increase the results of any workout or activity via the proven training benefits of time under tension and neuromuscular stimulation. WearBands come in four sock sizes, three lower-body band sizes, and 3 upper-body band sizes, which...

Duration: 00:36:00
How to Effectively Fuel Your Body ft. Erika Villalobos of CoachLife
Jul 10, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 26, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with former top junior player and collegiate All-American and current tennis-specific nutritionist, Erika Villalobos.

Erika Villalobos has transitioned from the courts to become a board-certified nutritionist with a master's in nutrition, specializing in the dietary needs of tennis players. Currently, she collaborates with elite junior and professional players, leveraging her comprehensive understanding of sports nutrition to enhance their performance. 

In this episode, Erika shares specific tips and guidelines for growing junior tennis players to ma...

Duration: 00:49:21
What Exactly Is High Performance ft. Todd Widom
Jul 03, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 25, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, coach Todd Widom is back to help all of us better understand what is meant by the term "High Performance" when it comes to junior tennis.

"High Performance" is something that gets thrown around much too casually in the junior tennis world. Coaches of varying degrees of experience and expertise will call their training environment "high performance" when, in reality, they are showing no signs of understanding or implementing "high performance" methods. Similarly, junior players and their parents...

Duration: 01:10:09
The Future of American Tennis? ft. Marcy Hendricks
Jun 26, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 24, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa is joined by developmental coach Marcy Hendricks.

*Disclaimer: ParentingAces is providing this podcast as a public service. Reference to any specific product, service, or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by ParentingAces, Lisa Stone, or Fit For 2, Inc. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program is not and does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Always do your own due diligence before purchasing, hirin...

Duration: 00:48:30
CoachLife ft. Guy Fritz
Jun 19, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 23, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week brings our next episode with coaches who are part of CoachLife, a new platform for tennis coaching knowledge.

Guy Fritz's legacy in tennis coaching is solidified by his unparalleled achievement of developing two top-ten players from the ground up, including his son, Taylor Fritz, from age 2 to 18. Under his guidance, Taylor developed one of the cleanest techniques in the sport's history. Additionally, Guy coached Coco Vandeweghe from ages 8 to 16, further showcasing his expertise in nurturing young talent. 

Duration: 00:43:51
Let's Consider the Coach's Side ft. Tom Downs
Jun 12, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 22, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week Lisa chats again with high-performance junior and WTA coach, Tom Downs (click here for our Season 10 podcast with Tom).

Tom is currently working as a private coach based in Dallas, Texas, and is working with former ITF Junior #3 and current WTA player Liv Hovde.

Prior to coaching tour players, however, Tom was a high-level junior himself in his home country of Australia. He came to the US to play college tennis and soon realized he had...

Duration: 00:50:09
When the Nightmare Is Real ft. Stevie Gould
Jun 05, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 21, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week's episode may not be suitable for your children, so please use discretion before letting them watch/listen.

When he was 11 years old, Stevie Gould knew what he wanted from tennis: a Blue Chip rating, direct entry into the biggest junior tournaments, a prestigious college tennis scholarship, and a real shot at the professional tour. Stevie did reach his goals of playing Kalamazoo and qualifying events for professional tournaments. He played Division I tennis at the University of Washington fo...

Duration: 01:17:05
KT Tape Innovates Again ft. Kade Applegate
May 29, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 20, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa is joined by KT Tape's head of product, Kade Applegate.

*Disclaimer: ParentingAces is providing this podcast as a public service. Reference to any specific product, service, or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by ParentingAces, Lisa Stone, or Fit For 2, Inc. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program is not and does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Always do your own due dilig...

Duration: 00:35:30
CoachLife ft. Todd Larkham
May 22, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 19, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week brings our next episode with coaches who are part of CoachLife, a new platform for tennis coaching knowledge.

Todd Larkham, who coached Nick Kyrgios for over 10,000 hours, shares his coaching philosophy and key strategies that shaped Nick’s career, emphasizing the blend of talent, coaching, and training environment needed for success. With a career spanning 18 Grand Slams and a high rank of 136, Todd’s instructional content on CoachLife, including forehand techniques and a top-tier kick serve video, offers inva...

Duration: 00:55:09
Love Serving Autism ft. Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix
May 15, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 18, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week we take a deep dive into parenting and coaching and playing with juniors who learn differently.

*Disclaimer: ParentingAces is providing this podcast as a public service. Reference to any specific product, service, or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by ParentingAces, Lisa Stone, or Fit For 2, Inc. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program is not and does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Alwa...

Duration: 00:51:18
CoachLife ft. Diego Moyano
May 08, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 17, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week brings the first of many episodes with coaches who are part of CoachLife, a new platform for tennis coaching knowledge.

Diego Moyano, a renowned developmental coach for tennis stars like Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz, has shaped top talents including Coco Gauff and Kevin Anderson, blending rigorous South American footwork with insights from French and US tennis. His extensive experience is showcased in CoachLife’s video series, offering transformative coaching strategies for developing top ju...

Duration: 01:25:38
What It's Like to Train Like Rafa
May 01, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 16, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, you get to hear all about my experience at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, as well as information from the Head of Men's and Women's Tennis at the Academy, Project Manager for Avanza Sports, and several junior players who were training there during my visit. This episode is a little longer than usual, but I hope you'll watch/listen to the entire podcast as each person offers a unique perspective on the Academy.

Marc Gorriz is...

Duration: 01:24:37
A Parent/Player Perspective on ParentingAces ft. Scott & Bode Campbell
Apr 17, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, father-son duo, Scott and Bode Campbell, share a real-world example of a family from Minnesota (please ignore my mistake in the opening to the episode - I do know the difference between Minnesota and Wisconsin!) trying to navigate high level junior tennis utilizing the resources and content created and curated by ParentingAces. In this episode, you will learn how a parent and family has used this forum to answer questions they had about junior tennis and become exposed to the la...

Duration: 01:01:43
A Tennis Academy That Inspires ft. Carley & Marcin Rozpedski
Apr 10, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we visit with the directors of a junior tennis academy in South Florida about their approach to overall junior development as well as overall human development.

Carley and Marcin Rozpedski are a husband and wife duo who have recently taken the reigns at the Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Not solely by coincidence, they are located just a few blocks away from the IMG Academy, which many of you will know by name if not by reputation.

...

Duration: 00:50:13
The Changing Landscape of Junior Tennis Coaching ft. Aaron Rusnak
Apr 03, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 13, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with junior developmental coach, Aaron Rusnak, about how coaching has changed since he first started playing the game as a nine-year-old child.

Aaron is a highly respected coach and has been teaching tennis for 28 years. He played on the ATP Tour and was nominated in 2021 by Tennis Channel and Top Spin Magazine as a Top 25 Coach in the U.S. 

Aaron has coached College Tennis at a variety of levels and has directed and gro...

Duration: 00:48:06
Lisa Live from Easter Bowl 2024
Mar 27, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we bring you something a little different!

For the past 3 weeks, Lisa has been on site at a variety of junior tournaments. She finishes her stint at the prestigious Easter Bowl in the California Desert.

While there, Lisa had the opportunity to record conversations with Colette Lewis of ZooTennis; Boys 12s player, Rex Kulman; Junior Developmental Coach, JY Aubone; and Junior Developmental Coach and owner of Austin Tennis Academy, Jack Newman.

Since these conversations w...

Duration: 00:50:15
Junior Tennis ✅ What’s Next? Episode 5 ft. Jake Beasley
Mar 20, 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 11, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa checks in with former top junior and college player, Jake Beasley.

Jake grew up in the Atlanta area, competing locally and sectionally throughout the Southeast. During high school, he and his family decided he could enhance his training and reach his goal of playing high-level college tennis by moving to the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in South Florida. Jake saw his level rise and, in his senior year of high school, was ready to move back h...

Duration: 00:53:33
Unraveling the College Admission Process ft. Dr. Pamela Ellis
Mar 13, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 10 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Dr. Pamela Ellis of Compass College Advisory joins us this week to talk about the intricacies of college admissions and how families can best approach this very important decision.

You've heard me speak - a lot! - about letting your child drive the process of their college recruiting. However, as Dr. Ellis reveals, parents play a crucial role in the college admission puzzle as well. She has worked with thousands of students and their families to help them not only...

Duration: 00:53:20
My Conversation with Joel Drucker
Mar 06, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 9 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, journalist Joel Drucker is back to share his thoughts on all things junior and college tennis.

Joel has been around tennis since childhood. He fell in love with the game, growing up within biking distance to courts in his West LA neighborhood. That love of tennis has taken him around the world as a sought-after journalist and thought-leader in our sport. He has watched the game change over his 6+ decades of life and has seen young hopefuls go...

Duration: 00:56:03
Top Questions to Ask When Choosing a Coach ft. Brian Wilson & John Nallon
Feb 28, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 8 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this episode, coaches Brian Wilson and John Nallon of the TBarM Racquet Club delve into the questions we need to ask when choosing a coach for our child(ren).

We've been getting a lot of questions lately about what to do when a coaching situation goes south, so we figured it was time to revisit this issue of what to look for in a developmental coach. Both Brian and John have extensive experience coaching themselves but also developing and...

Duration: 00:45:25
Billion Dollar Mind ft. Rick Macci & Dr. Niva
Feb 21, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 7 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Renowned coach, Rick Macci, is back alongside his former student and current neuromuscular neurologist (more info on that in the pod!), Dr. Nivedita Uberoi Jerath aka Dr. Niva, to discuss their new book, BILLION DOLLAR MIND (https://amzn.to/3tMs021).

Last year, you had the opportunity to hear from Rick about his coaching philosophy and approach to junior tennis development (https://parentingaces.com/articles/its-a-journey-ft-rick-macci/). In this episode, we delve deeper into the coaching of mindset and how that can...

Duration: 00:52:18
Rally Hopper ft. Ken Bright
Feb 14, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 6 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. They say necessity is the mother of invention. This week's guest, inventor and CPA Ken Bright, definitely supports that statement!

Ken grew up playing competitive tennis alongside other sports. While he was quite the player, even playing on his high school team, he chose another path when it was time for college. However, he always kept playing and competing, growing his love for tennis into his adult life.

After noticing he was amassing quite the collection of used...

Duration: 00:39:13
Brand Building to Offset Tennis Costs ft. Anthony & Gwyneth Britton
Feb 07, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 5 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we will be looking at one family's solution to the high costs of junior tennis development and competition.

When Gwyneth Britton, now 11 years old, was just barely out of diapers, her dad, Anthony, noticed several outstanding qualities in her. She was tenacious. She was competitive. And she loved to ham it up for the camera.

After introducing Gwyneth to tennis by hitting some balls on a neighborhood court, Anthony also saw she had great...

Duration: 00:44:08
Funding a Pro Career ft. Jamie Loeb
Jan 31, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 4 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Former NCAA Women's Singles Champion, Jamie Loeb, joins me this week to discuss her transition from junior tennis to an outstanding career at the University of North Carolina to her current status on the WTA Tour.

I first met Jamie and her mom while she was still playing the Junior Slams. Ever since, I have followed her career through college and now on the pro tour. Until recently, it's been a pretty seamless transition moving through the various levels of...

Duration: 00:57:57
Happy 50th to Tennis:Europe ft. Martin Vinokur & Jessie Young
Jan 24, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 3 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Martin Vinokur is back, this time with one of his coaches, Jessie Young, to discuss Tennis:Europe, a unique travel-and-tennis opportunity for teenage players.

2024 marks the 50th year of Tennis:Europe, an amazing accomplishment to be sure! Since the inception of ParentingAces in 2011, we have had many of our families participate in the program with the players coming home with new tennis skills and new friends and new experiences that serve them well as they continue to develop as tennis...

Duration: 00:44:22
Life Beyond the Pro Tour ft. Danielle Lao
Jan 17, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 2 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Those of you who have followed college tennis for a while will recognize Danielle Lao as a standout in her four years playing at USC. If you follow the pro tour as well, you will also recognize her from her ten years battling her way to achieve her goal of playing in a Slam.

In the past year, though, life has taken a turn for Danielle, finding her in the coaching arena while also pursuing her love of distance running. I...

Duration: 00:45:44
How to Game the Ratings ft. Robert Gomez & Todd Widom
Jan 10, 2024

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 1 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. We are thrilled to kick off the year with two amazing coaches, Robert Gomez and Todd Widom, helping us understand the role of ratings and rankings in our children's tennis development.

Robert Gomez is the Head of the Florida Coaches Commission, a member of the Florida Junior Competitive Counsel, and a USPTA Elite Professional. He has run professional tournaments, traveled the world to coach in other professional tournaments, and is the recently-hired Tournament Director of the Junior Orange Bowl 12s a...

Duration: 00:49:55
Match!Tennis App: It's Like They're Reading Our Minds ft. Heath Waters
Nov 15, 2023

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 43 - our final one of the year - of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Heath Waters of Match!Tennis App is back with us to share the latest updates to this game-changing tech!

Based on the discussions that happen in our Facebook groups and our one-on-one consults, there are some pain points common to almost all tennis families. And, sadly, these pain points rarely change or get resolved by the governing bodies of our sport.

Match!Tennis App hears about these same issues and...

Duration: 00:51:43
Off-Court Fitness Training ft. Dean Hollingworth
Nov 08, 2023

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 42 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa brings back fitness trainer extraordinaire, Dean Hollingworth, to break down what junior tennis players need to be doing off-court to maximize their fitness level.

Dean has more education and experience training tennis players around their fitness than anyone I know. Lucky for us, he's more than willing to share his expertise with the ParentingAces community.

In this episode, you'll hear from Dean about the importance of fitness, the importance of a proper warm-up...

Duration: 00:53:49
From Russia with Love ft. Egor Shestakov
Nov 01, 2023

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 41 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Egor Shestakov, a senior at University of Texas at Tyler who happens to be from Russia, shares his junior and college tennis journey with us, one that I believe you will find to be extremely eye-opening.

Egor was coached by his father at the beginning of his junior tennis career until both of them realized their relationship - and Egor's tennis - would be better served by hiring an outside coach. Egor continued to play other sports at the recreational...

Duration: 00:59:29
My Life on Court ft. Lester Sack
Oct 25, 2023

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...

Duration: 00:35:17
We Need to Fill in the Training Gaps ft. JY Aubone
Oct 18, 2023

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...

Duration: 00:47:12
What Makes the Ivies Different ft. Traci Green
Oct 11, 2023

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...

Duration: 00:43:57
The Latest from SenseArena ft. Yannick Yoshizawa & Matthew Simons
Oct 04, 2023

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 S...

Duration: 00:49:15
Where Are All the Top US Juniors ft. Todd Widom
Sep 27, 2023

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 w...

Duration: 00:50:07
How to use Kinesio Tape to Prevent & Treat Injury ft Zach Decker
Sep 20, 2023

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...

Duration: 00:46:21
A New Way to Analyze Matches ft. Daniel McCain & David Howell
Sep 13, 2023

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-tim...

Duration: 00:56:15
SwingVision is Changing Junior & College Tennis ft Swupnil Sahai
Sep 06, 2023

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, a...

Duration: 00:36:44
Centenary Tennis: Rising from the Ashes ft. Chris Dudley & David Orr
Aug 30, 2023

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. Duration: 00:44:15

Player to Coach to USTA ft. Amanda Fink
Aug 23, 2023

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...

Duration: 00:54:04
Why Grades Matter ft. Danielle McNamara
Aug 16, 2023

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 30 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Danielle McNamara rejoins Lisa to discuss why grades are important to high schoolers hoping to be recruited to play college tennis.

For those of you who have watched/listened to our previous episodes with Danielle (click here, here, and here), you know she's the former Head Coach of the Yale Women's Tennis Team as well as a former college player herself. She is now retired from coaching and has started DLM Coaching to help families better...

Duration: 00:49:19
Building Your Child's Brand ft. Joy Harris
Aug 09, 2023

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 29 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, we take a deep dive into the NCAA's Name Image Likeness (NIL) rule and how tennis families can use it to their advantage throughout the Junior Tennis Journey.

Joy Harris is a mom and an entrepreneur. While her two sons followed their dreams in football, she is no stranger to youth sports and the expense involved in helping your child achieve their athletic goals.

Joy found a way to offset the high costs of...

Duration: 00:39:12
Hard Comes First ft. Rod Ray
Aug 02, 2023

Welcome to Season 12 Episode 28 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Wofford Men's Tennis Coach, Rod Ray, joins Lisa to share his sports journey with his two sons and why he's found value and joy in the challenges life has thrown at him. He also talks about his recruiting philosophy and what parents and junior players need to know.

When he was about 4 or 5 years old, Rod's oldest son, Cole, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Since Rod and his wife also had another son, A...

Duration: 00:43:50