Dear Academy Family,
One important piece of our program (and one of our favorite ones) is the open-door policy that we have with our former students who are now participating in college tennis to come and practice in the program during their breaks. This past week, a number of them reached out to us to join us, and we try to find ways to incorporate them into the sessions. Important lessons of leadership, humbleness, enjoyment, and teamwork are taught by these rockstars’ sole participation.
When the college kids are around, they lead the warmups, the cool downs, and they clearly bring up the effort level from the entire group. Their engagement and effort are greater than normal because it is THEIR individual decision to join our training, and they have the clear understanding that in order to make a difference on their team and for their team, they need to give the best of themselves in practice (even if their next interaction with their teams will be in nearly four months).
These players come to train with us knowing that they are probably going to be the not only the oldest, but also probably the best players of the group, and their humbleness to take on this role is something that they have learned to understand (because it is not easy), and that they have learned to value and be proud of.
Their participation in the program clearly shows how much these players love the game and love the experience that college athletics is giving them. Because of this, the level of high intensity FUN is in every minute that they spend on the courts with us.
Obviously, all the 18 and over players who join us are also part of their own individual TEAMS, and because of this, they bring a natural way to push each person that is participating in the practice because positively influencing their peers is an unwritten rule among sports teams that has short- and long-term benefits for everyone involved.
Unfortunately, having these players in town makes me feel very old…. Some of them have been around me and the program since they were little kids, and I can’t seem to understand where time went, but it mostly makes me VERY proud of continuing to play a part of their development as players, athletes, leaders, and people.
See you on the courts!!
