For Tennis Parents by a Tennis Parent

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A few weeks ago, I posted on our Facebook page that I would be doing an interview with a USTA official and asked you for questions to ask him. You did not disappoint!

In this week’s episode of the ParentingAces Podcast, recorded in person at Goldberg’s Deli (!), I chat with Gary Link, an amazing official based in South Carolina who has committed the past 21 years to helping junior tennis players learn while playing. I have known him since my son’s junior tennis years, and I can vouch for his devotion to learning and teaching others the rules while always striving for fairness and equality.

Gary addresses issues such as when officials should issue a warning versus a code violation. He talks about throwing racquets, foul language, and cheating, and how parents and officials should handle these occurrences. He talks about officials who may not be up to speed on the rules and why junior players should make sure they are prepared to question a ruling. Gary also addresses some of the myths about officials and their behind-the-scenes conversations.

In addition, we spend quite a bit of time talking about the cheating problem in junior tennis and what we parents can do to help put a stop to it.

You will hear us refer to Friend At Court. You can find the current document here.

More on Gary Link:

Gary Link is an ambassador for youth of all ages. He is a USTA Certified Referee entering his 23rd year of officiating junior and adult tennis. In addition to tennis Gary has officiated basketball for youth from ages 4 to 18 as well as adults.

Gary currently serves as Chairman of the Adult Competition Committee and as member of both the Junior Competition Committee and Officials Committee for USTA South Carolina.

Gary is a certified Life Coach and motivational speaker for the John Maxwell team. Gary is the founder of Upstate Junior Tennis which offers parents and junior players the opportunity to attend educational seminars on junior tennis and events featuring college coaches, inspirational speakers, and experts in the area of junior tennis. He is available to partner with your club or organization and speak on a variety of topics.

You can reach Gary Link via email at [email protected].

Thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic

If you’re so inclined, please share this ? and all our episodes! ? with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the ParentingAces website.

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