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.htmlGirls Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.htmlBoys Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.htmlBoys Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.htmlAs 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.htmlGirls Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.htmlBoys Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.htmlBoys Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.htmlIn 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.htmlGirls Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.htmlBoys Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.htmlBoys Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.htmlIn 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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 HereTo 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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 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 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 12sGirls 14sBoys 12s/14sGirls !6s/18sBoys 16s/18sAs 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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 young and, at that time, almost unknown, players from 11 to 15 years old; four of them reached the #1 position in the ATP and WTA: Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters, and Dinara Safina. In 2008 Luca founded Tennis-Talents and implemented the TT Method. Between 2010 and 2011, he was the Executive Tennis Director of the Tunisian Tennis Federation and coach of Ons Jabeur, the Roland Garros Junior 2011 girls champion.Luca is also instrumental in supporting the Smrikva Bowl, a prestigious junior tournament set in Croatia for junior players age 10 and under from around the world. The goal of the tournament is to promote global awareness and understanding through the sport of tennis. If you are interested in getting in touch with Luca for online or in person coaching or consulting , his email is luca@tennistalents.net. You can also contact him through the Tennis Talents website at https://www.tennistalents.net/contact.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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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 of podcasts in the recent past on the importance of journaling, so I won't rehash the details of the value in it. That said, TennisIQ takes journaling to a whole new level, including a voice-to-text feature, mindfulness prompts, and the use of AI to devise pre- and post-match audio to help players - and parents! - come to each practice and each match fully prepared to give their best.Whether you need to get advise from your personalized in-app coach, track your opponents, manage your matches, or view past journal entries, this app has you covered. And I will be recording some helpful modules for parents so you can use and benefit from TennisIQ as well.TennisIQ is available in the Apple App Store for iOS users and as a web app for Android users. Jaime and Alli have set up a 50% off code for the ParentingAces community which you can redeem as follows:Go to: www.tennisiq.appClick on "Get Started" button.Enter the promo code: ACES at check out Complete your checkout to lock in the discount.Once you've redeemed your code on the website:Head to the App StoreSearch for “Tennis IQ”Download the app and log in with the account you just created.That’s it! You’re ready to start training your tennis brain with Tennis IQ — anytime, anywhere.To connect with Jaime and Alli and TennisIQ, here are some links for you:Email: Hello@tennisiq.appInstagram @tennisiq_appFacebook: Tennis IQ App Linkedin: Tennis IQ AppWebsite: https://www.tennisiq.appAs 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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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 and heading into his first year as a College Tennis Student-Athlete at Xavier University in Ohio, they asked if they could share some of the challenges and solutions they faced with the help of our platform. Of course, I said yes!You will hear from them both about Bode's college recruiting process and how he came to choose Xavier, dealing with injury last summer, Bode's high school tennis experience, working through some of the mental aspects of the game utilitizing tools from Apeak and 7ShotTennis, and how parents can work together to ensure a more positive experience for their children.If you'd like to reach out to Scott directly, he's always willing to help! His email is sccsearch@msn.com. You can find both Scott and Bode on Instagram as well. Scott is https://www.instagram.com/scottcoulter5/ and Bode is https://www.instagram.com/bodecampbell_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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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 team title won by a CWRU team in any sport. The National Championship came on the heels of back-to-back finishes at the NCAA Championship each of the previous two years, including in 2021 when he was named the Wilson/ ITA National Coach of the Year. Wojtkowski went on to lead the Spartans back to the NCAA quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season in 2024. Now they find themselves back in the Elite 8 as they compete for the 2025 title.I first met Todd about 10 years ago. We had been corresponding electronically since the beginning of ParentingAces, so it was a real treat to run into him at Indian Wells and put a face to a name. We've stayed in contact over the years, but, recently, Todd's name has come up in multiple conversations I've had with industry leaders, other college coaches, and even Tennis Parents, so I was thrilled to learn he'd be with his team only an hour from my home and was willing to sit down and talk tennis with me.Todd's approach to the sport is so balanced and so heartfelt and 100% aligned with what we are trying to accomplish with ParentingAces. I hope you enjoy hearing his thoughts on the DIII experience, what he looks for in a recruit, and the future of not only college tennis but tennis in its entirety.Coach Wojtkowski has generously offered to take part in a follow-up Q&A with the ParentingAces community to answer any questions or concerns that may pop up as you listen to our conversation. Please email your questions to me at lisa@parentingaces.com so we can compile them into a future discussion.And please join me in wishing the Spartans - and all the teams competing - all the best this week!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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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.Both Mark Dayton and John Parsons work daily in the college tennis space and have been actively trying to shed light on the settlement and its possible short- and long-term effects. We tackle a variety of questions in this podcast and hope it clarifies and gives listeners the push to formulate a plan for any junior players who have college tennis on their list of goals.To reach Mark, join his College Tennis Recruitment Video Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/808424032556193.To reach John, follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/noadnoproblem/ and subscribe to the No Ad, No Problem podcast at https://noadnoproblem.buzzsprout.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.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Marnie De Koning-Moore
Hi, in your description of the podcast you mentioned that because internationals won't be able to get visas or be able to travel, next year could be a great opportunity for American players. I didn't hear this specifically mentioned in the audio of the podcast. Do you have any thoughts as to when the coaches will start looking specifically at Americans? I mean the recruiting season is almost finished and still most rosters are full of internationals of all levels (freshman to senior) and I see coaches still enthusiastically reacting to videos from internationals. Aren't they worried they might end up with an empty bench next year?
Kevin Yrie
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Kevin Yrie
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Kevin Yrie
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