Archive for July, 2012

If I Could Turn Back Time . . .

14
9 months ago
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The further we get in my son’s junior tennis journey, the more I realize how many mistakes I’ve made along the way.  Given that my stated purpose for writing this blog is helping others avoid the pitfalls I’ve experienced, the following is a list of some things I would do differently IF I could start this whole process over again.  I’m sure there are things I’m forgetting about (selective memory?!?), but this is a good jumping-off point.

  • I would interview several coaches before choosing one for my son.  I would also interview several of the parents of children training with those coaches to get their input on things such as time commitment, financial commitment, expectations, discipline, fitness training, nutrition training, communication More >

ParentingAces Hits the Airwaves

1
9 months ago
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If you’ve been following ParentingAces on Facebook and/or Twitter, you already know that I’ve got a new internet radio show airing on Sunday evenings 6:30-7:30pm ET.  Well, here are the particulars . . .

To listen to the show live, click here to go to the UR10S station on BlogTalkRadio.  You will see a countdown clock to the start of the show.  At 6:30pm sharp, the show will begin playing in your browser.

If you can’t make it to the live broadcast, every show will be recorded and archived as a podcast on iTunes for free downloading.  That way, you can listen at your convenience on your iPod or other mp3 player.

My favorite feature of the show is that y’all will be able to call in with questions for our weekly guests.  The call-in number More >

The End of an Era

1
10 months ago
in

Today marks the end of an era.  I will no longer be the daily chauffeur for my son.  He will no longer need me to drive him to drills, pick him up afterward, take him to fitness, or schlep him to school.  He is now a licensed driver.

And, given that he is my last child at home and the last to drive, that means my time is now my own.  That means I can book appointments, make lunch dates, and whatever else I want to do on my time-frame without worrying that I’ll be finished in time to pick up my son and take him where he needs to be.

That also means every time he gets behind the wheel, I will get that little clutch in my stomach – you know the one – and worry like crazy until he calls to let me know he’s arrived wherever safe and in one More >

Advocating for Your Child

0
10 months ago
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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

We parents are our children’s best and most important advocates.  That applies to school.  That applies to doctors.  And that applies to tennis.

Every now and then, you and your junior tennis player will come up against a rule – or an official’s interpretation of a rule – that doesn’t seem to be in the best interest of the child.  The rule may pertain to rest time between matches or to alternative scoring or to suspension points.

Two years ago, my son was playing in a Bullfrog (designated) tournament out of state.  It was the first really hot weekend of the year, and my son was scheduled to play 3 backdraw matches that day with an hour More >

Our Impact On Our Children’s Development

1
10 months ago
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The passages below are excerpts from a rather lengthy email I received this morning from sports psychologist, Dr. Jorge Valverde.  I am reprinting them with his permission.

Our responsibility as parents is like a mountain:  the bigger the mountain to climb, the stronger we must become, and our strength must come from wisdom and inspiration.

Dealing with discipline issues

-       Establish boundaries and natural consequences and follow them closely -       Present one front as parents, avoiding the bad/good cop paradigm -       Change behaviors and attitudes with extended metaphors/stories -       Spend quality time with each child separate and together -       Avoid comparison between your children -       Acknowledge their good More >

Random Thoughts on Hannity vs. USTA

8
10 months ago
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I’m guessing you’ve all read Sean Hannity’s blog post regarding the changes to the national junior comp schedule that will become effective in 2014.  I’m guessing you’ve all read Patrick McEnroe’s and Tim Russell’s replies, too, as well as Mr. Hannity’s rebuttal.  I’ve read endless commentary on this heated debate on the various blogs and Facebook groups and message boards I frequent and tried to process everything written – it’s a lot to take in!

Given that my son isn’t yet playing at the national level and, therefore, isn’t immediately affected by these changes, I’m not sure anyone really cares what I have to say on the subject.  However, in the name of research, I did have two rather lengthy phone conversations with Tim Russell and More >

Happy Birthday!

0
10 months ago
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I guess one of the perks of writing a blog is having a public forum in which to wish the impetus BEHIND the blog happy birthday.  So, happy 16th birthday to my one and only son!  I wish for you a day and a year filled with dreams, happiness, love, success, and striving.

We are planning to celebrate tonight by attending the BB&T Atlanta Open to see Andy Roddick play Nicolas Mahut, weather permitting.  My son is a long-time Roddick fan, not so much because of Andy’s antics but rather because of his strong work ethic and dedication to the sport that has given him so much.  We have had the opportunity to see Andy play a few times now – in Atlanta, at the US Open, and in Davis Cup in Austin last summer – and he never disappoints.  I expect More >

Holabird Sports-Adidas “All-In” Junior Tennis Challenge

6
10 months ago
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With the various changes that USTA is implementing throughout the junior competition calendar, several forward-thinking individuals and companies are stepping in to offer players and their families alternative ways to maximize their tournament experiences.  The Holabird Sports-Adidas All-In Junior Tennis Challenge is one such event.  I had the opportunity to speak with the tournament’s creator, Sol Schwartz, and to ask him a few questions:

ParentingAces: Why did you decide to create this tournament?

Sol Schwartz: The tournament was created for a few different reasons, the main one being that it will create an atmosphere that is going to be totally unique for the junior tennis player.  Our event has a variety of rules components that More >

You Gotta Have Faith

2
10 months ago
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A big thank-you to my amazing yoga instructor, Lisa Jones, for the quote above.

Sometimes I get a major wake-up call which catches me totally off guard.  This weekend’s tournament was one of those.

The week leading up to the tournament was a rough one for my son.  He came down with a cold/sinus infection on Monday and immediately started taking a antibiotic in hopes that he would feel significantly better by the Saturday start day.  All week, he shortened his practices, even resorting to hitting with only me one of the days, trying to conserve his energy.  I begged him to drink Emergen-C – my go-to when I start feeling a cold coming on.  He drank one, maybe two, all week.  I begged him to drink protein shakes at the end of each day.  He More >

Sean Hannity’s Letter & USTA’s Response

3
10 months ago
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On June 26, 2012, political analyst Sean Hannity posted a letter on his blog addressed to USTA concerning the revised national competition schedule for junior players. Today, I received an email from Timothy Russell, Chair of USTA’s Junior Competition Committee. Links to Mr. Hannity’s post as well as USTA’s response are below:

Sean Hannity’ Blog http://www.hannity.com/article/sean-s-analysis-on-usta/15702

Patrick McEnroe’s Response http://www.usta.com/Youth-Tennis/Junior-Competition/patrick_mcenroes_response_to_sean_hannitys_analysis_on_usta/

Timothy Russell’s Response http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/25/Sean_Hannity_response_July_5_2012.pdf

NOTE:  I have updated formatting for the links so you should be able to click on them now.  Sorry More >

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