As I mentioned in my last post, my son has been in Los Angeles this week, spending his spring break training with Craig Cignarelli and Lester Cook. I just figured I’d update y’all on how his days are going out there . . .
Breakfast
Tuesday, his first full day on the West coast, started with a lesson and a coached (by Lester) match against LMFAO‘s Redfoo.
After their workout, the three guys headed into Westwood for a bite to eat where my son got to see firsthand just how popular Redfoo is with locals and tourists alike.
My son reported that Redfoo is “one of the funniest dudes I’ve ever met” and went on to share a few details about their conversation. Redfoo told my son and Lester about his latest project, “Behind the Speedo” (warning: the show is NOT G-rated!), and my son shared some thoughts on how Redfoo could use social media to get more views from teenagers and college students on YouTube. What a cool experience for a him to have!
Later that afternoon, Lester drove my son up to Malibu for his lesson with Craig. They worked out hard for about 90 minutes, then my son got to hang out and watch as Craig coached other players at the Malibu Racquet Club. It was a great opportunity for my son to soak up some coaching wisdom and techniques that he will hopefully be able to integrate into his own repertoire.
Hanging out in Westwood with Redfoo
On Wednesday morning, Lester picked up my son in Santa Monica and took him back to the UCLA courts for another hitting session followed by more work with Craig in Malibu that afternoon. Let me just say that the work Craig is doing with him isn’t limited to the on-court stuff. Craig also spends a significant amount of time talking with my son off the court about the intricacies of tennis and how the worlds of junior tennis, college tennis, professional tennis, and tennis coaching work. He is preparing my son for the next stage of his tennis life – college (keeping fingers and toes crossed!) – and beyond.
Thursday started with another “Craig Lesson” at the Malibu Racquet Club followed by a practice match against an adult club member later in the afternoon. There’s something pretty special about playing on a court that overlooks the Pacific Ocean as the sun is going down – that guy Larry Ellison sure knew what he was doing when he picked this location for his club!
Redfoo dancing with a fan
Today, Friday, brings another session with Craig and then the first of two opportunities to attend college matches. This afternoon, Pepperdine is playing Gonzaga, and my son will be in the stands! Tomorrow, it’s UCLA versus Stanford. He’s so excited to experience these home matches and to see how college tennis is done in SoCal. When I told him how jealous I was and how I wished I were there, too, he said, “I know, Mom, and I’m sorry you’re not here, but I think it was good for me to come out here without you this time. Thank you for the opportunity.”
What a great kid! He really gets that he’s getting to do something pretty special over this Spring Break. While I’m sure he would’ve had a great time down in Florida with his school friends, I’m grateful that he took advantage of the chance to work with Craig and Lester again, to show himself that he can navigate meals and laundry and rides and meetings without his mom’s help, and to be part of two different colleges’ home matches, too. I have a feeling this is a Spring Break he won’t soon forget.
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