ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast

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 into tennis coaching. Once realizing that not only did he need to preserve his own body if he wanted longevity in his coaching career but also other players and coaches were suffering with the same injuries he had endured. Sky put his love of engineering to use by developing unique vibration dampeners, insoles, and performance socks to reduce the wear and tear of tennis on the body. HIs products are now available on his website, RTPtennis.com. Sky has graciously set up a discount for the ParentingAces Community - ParentingAces20 for 20% off your order! Sky has also worked very hard to overcome his introvert personality by creating an online coaching platform on YouTube where he has over 100,000 subscribers. You can follow his channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Lsu90hbliCn9_Vkp7WtLw/featured. As if that weren't enough, Sky has written the book, ART OF WAR: ART OF TENNIS which you can purchase online at https://rtptennis.com/products/art-of-war-art-of-tennis-by-sky-kim-1. The book bridges the ancient wisdom of Sun Tzu with the modern battles of competitive tennis. By drawing striking parallels between warfare and the tennis court, this book unveils the hidden roles of the player, coach, and parent—mirroring the general, the strategist, and the king in a campaign for excellence. Through real experiences of top juniors and pro players, it answers the toughest, most often ignored questions that arise on the journey to world-class performance. Currently, Sky is coaching in the LA area as well as continuing to provide virtual coaching via YouTube. You can follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rtptennis/ or reach out to him via email at sky@rtptennis.com. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 bit more about Kyle and why he's a great guest to tackle this subject: Kyle LaCroix has a proven track record of service and success in the racquet sports industry. A RSPA (Racquet Sports Professionals Association , Formerly USPTA) Master Professional, and a decorated industry veteran that is also certified by RSPA Padel, Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), Registro Profesional de Tenis (RPT), Global Professional Tennis Coaches Association (GPTCA) and the United States Center For Coaching Excellence (USCCE). Kyle has spent the past 25+ years as one of the foremost experts and leaders in coach development. Having worked with players of all levels, across numerous racquet sports as well as coaches, Kylebrings with him a wealth of knowledge through work at clubs and academies. Kyle has served the racquet sportsindustry in a multitude of capacities including being a RSPA Florida Division Tester/Coach Developer for 17 years and a member of the RSPA National College Curriculum Committee, The RSPA National Membership Committee, The RSPA Strategic Planning Committee as well as other board appointments. Kyle has tested, certified and mentored over 1700 individual tennis coaches from around the world. In 2014, Kyle became the youngest recipient of the RSPA National Tester/Coach Developer of The Year Award. Kyle is The Chief Education Officer of SETS. He holds a B.S. Degree from Ferris State University in Professional Tennis Management. A B.S. Degree in Marketing as well as an MBA from The University of Michigan. He also has an M.Ed. from Stanford University. To get in touch with Kyle, you can email him at kyle.lacroix@setsconsulting.org. You can also follow him on Twitter @SETS_Consulting and Instagram @sets_consulting. For our podcast with Kyle's wife, Lisa, go to https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/love-serving-autism-ft-lisa-pugliese-lacroix/. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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. TAP wants sport to be joyful and freeing, and to bring people together. They have become leaders in how to change the culture of sport, working with national and international governing bodies, community sports centers, schools, colleges, coaches, athletes, referees, and parents. Sam Parfitt holds an MSc in Sport Policy, Management and International Development from the University of Edinburgh, where he then became an associate tutor. His dissertation focused on the role of sport coaches as social change-makers. He is a certified mindfulness teacher and a USPTA professional tennis coach with experience coaching all ages and standards - from total beginners to internationally-ranked juniors. ​While Sam suffered with poor health during his time in the US, Sam endeavored to use his experiences in sport - both positive and negative - to help others. His academic work centered around sport and identity, and he became intimately involved in establishing projects which used sport as an agent for social change. He worked extensively within the context of sport for at-risk Hispanic youths and won multiple awards for his efforts, including the 2012 UTC and City of Chattanooga public service award and the Coleman Lew & Associates Leadership Award. After working within an NCAA Division I athletics department, he was appointed director of athletics at Saint Peter's School - an independent K through 5th school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There, he had the chance to create his own athletics program around a set of ideals that would help the children enjoy a positive start to their sporting careers. The program included a novel parkour program, sports poetry, mindfulness, and brought the school into the news for his inclusive and innovative approach to the holistic training of young athletes. During his time at St.Peter's School, Sam was also an NCAA Division I women's tennis coach, helping to take the Mocs to their best record for over twenty years. Sam has also worked with the Mastercard Scholars Foundation and advises several NGOs. He has delivered mindfulness to Olympians and Paralympians across over thirty sports. If you're interested in learning more about The True Athlete Project, visit their website at https://www.thetrueathleteproject.org. You can reach Sam directly via email at sam@thetrueathleteproject.org. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 doing so very successfully. In this podcast, Quinn goes into detail about his approach to both parenting and coaching his children and shares their weekly schedule and how he and his wife work together to ensure family harmony. Quinn is happy to chat with anyone looking for guidance on their own child's tennis journey. You can reach out to him through the ParentingAces Facebook Group or via email at quinnborchard@gmail.com. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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, among others. He has also worked with numerous junior players who had their sites on becoming pro players. Todd Widom runs a successful tennis program in Florida with a focus on preparing his players for college tennis and beyond. Todd also had an amazing junior and college tennis career before embarking on the pro tour. He brings those experiences to his work as a coach today. Both of these men grew up with strict junior coaches - Robert Lansdorp and Pierre Arnold - who taught them the value of hard work, commitment, and patience. Tennis development is a long process where the focus needs to be on growth over results and rankings. To contact Michael, you can email him at Michaeltjoyce73@gmail.com or call/text him at 407-421-4341. To contact Todd, you can email him at todd@twtennis.com. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://instagram.com/toddwidom_tennis. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 our sport, and their journey may look very different from the one your family is on. That said, all four parents offer some great nuggets of wisdom and advice! For the draws of each US Open Junior event: Girls Singles: ⁠⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-singles.html⁠⁠ Girls Doubles: ⁠⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.html⁠⁠ Boys Singles: ⁠⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.html⁠⁠ Boys Doubles: ⁠⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.html⁠ As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 Singles Champion and Girls Doubles Finalists Jelene Vandromme of Belgium. The interviews were conducted in the Media Garden outside the US Open Media Center. Lisa was joined by Colette Lewis of ZooTennis.com and Michael Lewis, who both cover junior tennis worldwide. After the singles finals were played, the Boys and Girls champions were both invited into Room 1 inside the Media Center for their interviews. You can find that footage, courtesy of the US Open, here and here. For the draws of each US Open Junior event: Girls Singles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-singles.html⁠ Girls Doubles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.html⁠ Boys Singles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.html⁠ Boys Doubles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.html In the next installment, you’ll hear from some of the parents about their journeys alongside their talented children. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 the singles and doubles events in New York alongside the pros. They each took a different path to this tournament which should offer some insights into how a junior player can go from playing their local events to playing on the biggest stages around the world. For the draws of each US Open Junior event: Girls Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-singles.html Girls Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.html Boys Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.html Boys Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.html In the next installment, you'll hear from additional junior players who all reached the Finals in their respective events. After that, you'll hear from some of the parents about their journeys alongside their talented children. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 will open the minds of coaches, players, and parents to alternative ways of developing players to their full potential. As we all know, there are so many paths through Junior Tennis, and I believe it's helpful to know your options! Jack and I also chat about the upcoming Little Mo Nationals which will once again be hosted by Austin Tennis Academy. To learn more about one of my favorite junior tournament series, visit the Little Mo website at https://mcbtennis.org/. For those interested in contacting Jack and/or Austin Tennis Academy, visit their website at https://austintennisacademy.com/. You can reach Jack via email at Jack.Newman@austintennisacademy.com. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 membership as its Executive Director. He formally directed the Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning and Coaching Education departments for USTA. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the ITPA. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles and abstracts in top journals including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine, Sports Health, International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance, Strength & Conditioning Journal, Journal of Sports Science and Medicine among many others. He has presented workshops and keynote addresses on four continents and well over 100 presentations. Along with his academic and scientific background Dr. Kovacs is also a coach and former professional athlete. He was an All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. After playing professionally, he completed his graduate work at Auburn University and earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a certified Health/Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine, a United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach and Certified Tennis Coach. This man has the bona fides! You'll hear Mark discuss the Gatorade Sweat Patch as an easy tool to measure sweat level. You can get more information and order them through the Gatorade website at https://www.gatorade.com/equipment/gx-sweat-patch/gx-sweat-patch-00052000048520. Mark and I also discuss his recent article on combating jet lag which you can find here: Click Here To reach out to Mark directly, email him at mark@kovacsinstitute.com. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://instagram.com/drmarkkovacs. To find our podcast on periodization, go to https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/what-is-periodization-how-do-we-use-it-with-dr-mark-kovacs/. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 health and fitness management from Clayton State in 2015. Hannah has been director of the Stars of the Future program at Ginepri Performance Tennis located at Olde Towne Athletic Club in Marietta, Georgia, where she worked with homeschool and high-performance youth players to develop them for playing at the collegiate and professional levels. In this role, Keeling worked alongside Robbie Ginepri, a former No. 15 ranked player among the ATP Tour, and Jason Parker, a WTA/ATP coach. As a player, Keeling was the top-ranked national junior tennis player in the United Kingdom while playing for Hampshire, England. She supplemented her American collegiate career by spending several years playing in the women’s French national circuit. Hannah shares with us what she looks for in recruits and what she hopes prospective student athletes will ask her during their recruiting process. She also shares her experience coaching the Intennse League over the summer and what she is bringing back to her team from that experience. For more information on Georgia Gwinnett College or NAIA college tennis in general, feel free to reach out to Hannah directly at hkeeling@ggc.edu. She has a wealth of information and experience to share with families considering the NAIA route. You can also follow her on Instagram at fitcourtlife. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 29 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from 16-year-old Sadira Ouyong 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 put great effort into learning the best way to guide Sadira - and her younger brother - through youth sports. From my perspective, they are doing an incredible job so far, and the fact that ParentingAces has played a role in their journey makes me very proud. You'll hear Sadira talk about her experience playing in the Intennse League this summer, her backdraw experience at the National Clay Courts last month, and her expectations at this event. You'll also hear her parents' thoughts on their role and how they work with her coaches to help Sadira have the most positive experience possible on the court while balancing her life off the court. For more information on Intennse, visit the website at https://www.intennse.com/home. To follow the draws in the various age groups and locations for National Hardcourts, here are the links: Girls 12s⁠ Girls 14s Boys 12s/14s Girls !6s/18s Boys 16s/18s As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠online shop⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 to pursue tennis at the highest levels. He also has interests off the court and continually seeks ways to schedule time for all aspects of his life, including academics. To that end, the family decided to look into alternatives to their neighborhood brick-and-mortar school. Eyal did his research and found Sora Schools. Sora's mission is to deliver a transformative learning experience that empowers middle and high school students to thrive in the modern world. By blending live, interactive classes with independent, flexible focus time, Sora creates a unique environment where students can engage deeply with their learning, pursue their passions, and grow alongside like-minded peers. Their approach prioritizes academic excellence, social development, and real-world preparation, fostering a dynamic and inclusive community where every student is inspired to achieve their unique goals. Eyal and Ethan share more about their family's experience with Sora as well as their tennis journey to date. Eyal has graciously offered to answer any of your questions, so please feel free to reach out to him at eyalyurconi@gmail.com. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠online shop⁠. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 spent 6 months as the Volunteer Assistant Coach of the Brown University Men's Tennis Team. Both coaches share what they've learned from Pierre's college coaching experience and how they're integrating those lessons into their work with junior players. 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. And check out his newly-redesigned website at https://twtennis.com/. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 suggestions for improving in your next match. Not only that, your own coach can register FOR FREE with SwingVision to be able to offer you the same type of in-app analysis, giving you access to real-time coaching whether or not your coach is actually on site at the tourney. For more, visit https://swing.vision/coaching/marketplace. The Coach Reviews are just one new development for SwingVision. You'll have to watch/listen to the episode to hear more! For more information on SwingVision and downloading the app on your iOS or Android phone, go to https://swing.vision/. If your facility in interested in bringing the SwingVision Electronic Line Coaching to your courts, you can reach out to Swupnil directly at swupnil@swing.tennis. For the discounted bundle Swupnil mentions in the podcast, visit https://swing.tennis/c/parentingaces20. This discount code will give you $20 off your first year of Pro, a free Swing Stick ($100 value), and a 60-Day money back guarantee. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 Boy's Singles draw at Wimbledon. After a successful junior career, Jordan decided to forgo college and NCAA tennis to play professionally. He earned singles and doubles titles at the 10-15k level reaching a career high ATP singles ranking of 449 and doubles ranking of 605. The grind of professional tennis eventually proved too much so Jordan stopped after 4 years. Unsure of what to do next, he found himself playing college tennis for Coach Chase Hodges and the Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies. He earned his Bachelors in business marketing while competing on the championship winning team 3 years running. Currently, Jordan is an actor and resides in the Atlanta area with his wife, Valeria. He's acting on TV shows & movies while still staying in the game he loves as a coach at Harp Performance Academy under Jim Harp. You can find Jordan's acting resume on his IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6338980/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jordanmcoxxy/. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 his degree in History and Journalism. He has coached all over the world including Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, and Austria where he currently lives with his wife and two children. Most of his work these days is with young juniors looking to develop their games for national and international tournaments although he also does a lot of work with adults and basically anyone who wants to learn. He joins the podcast to talk about developing Lilli and what he saw in her from a very young age that convinced him she had what it takes to become a world champion. If you're interested in talking with Mark, you can email him at mwgcarruthers@gmail.com. You can also find him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/make.tennisgreatagain/. For some additional information on the Italian method of training young players which Mark talks about in this episode, go to https://tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=11804&. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 the recruiting process, and more!

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 its opening weekend, both the qualies matches for a spot on the Challenge team as well as the pro and junior matches. What a blast! This is tennis like you've never seen before: played on a clock, one serve, co-ed teams with coaching and substitutions, with teams playing singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. If you missed my Instagram posts over the weekend, you can find them at https://instagram.com/ParentingAces. To be clear, Intennse is NOT looking to replace traditional tennis or tennis tournaments. Rather, it is acting as a bridge for junior players who want to play college tennis so they can gain experience playing on a team and under pressure as well as for those players looking to play professionally but aren't quite ready - either developmentally or financially - to start a pro career. On the junior side, Intennse matches do count for UTR and WTN and, if a junior player wants to play qualies for a spot on that week's Challenger team, they have the opportunity to earn in excess of $1500 if their Challenger team beats the pro team that week. On the pro side, players receive a guaranteed salary plus prize money if their team wins a match. Intennse is allowing players to better manage their travel and competition schedule while receiving salary and benefits, a far cry from the current ATP/WTA tours. For more information on Intennse, visit the website at https://www.intennse.com/home and be sure to follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/intennsetennis, TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@intennsetennis, and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566418503744. You can always reach out to JY directly via email at jy@forthesport.com. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

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 Tennis - the first dedicated podcast for tennis coaches, featuring interviews with over 100 of the world’s most decorated coaches. His work bridges coaching, sports psychology, and leadership, with a focus on long-term impact and sustainability. His second book—Winning Way —is currently in development and will focus on helping coaches build a sustainable, high-impact coaching philosophy. Since the age of 18, Adam has been working with junior players to help them develop to their full potential. He realized early in his coaching career that he needed to develop his own philosophy of coaching modeled on how he was coached as a junior but also incorporating lessons learned from watching other player-coach relationships over the years. After noticing a gap in the market of coaches helping coaches, Adam launched his limited series podcast, inviting experienced coaches from around the world to share their experiences and advice. He later transcribed all the episodes and turned them into his first book, Winning Words. Adam has generously offered to give a FREE COPY of Winning Words to 3 ParentingAces Community Members. To win, simply post about this podcast episode on Facebook and/or Instagram by midnight Pacific Time on June 24, 2025, tag @ParentingAces as well as @AdamBlicher, and we will draw three winners to be announced on those two social media platforms. You can reach Adam via email at adamblicher@gmail.com or on his website, adamblicher.com. Be sure to follow him on both Facebook and Instagram as well. To order your copy of Winning Words for yourself or your child's coach - or both! - go to https://amzn.to/3ZhdMmm. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠. If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop. CREDITS Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone