#Get a Grip Newsletter, #11
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Happy (almost) Thanksgiving everyone!
Last week, I was honored to be part of the USTA Foundation Fantasy Camp. This camp brings together generous Foundation donors and the NJTL Excellence Team players, in their College Pathway Camp. I am overwhelmed at the generosity and support from these donors, and the stories of achievement from these kids. After seeing these kids in action, and know just how challenging the path to college tennis can be, I am committed to sponsoring an Excellence Team.
Everyone who has competed in junior, collegiate, and professional athletics knows the benefits that come from these experiences. I want to make sure that kids-in-need have these opportunities, by supporting them with coaching, academic tutoring, test prep, college application support, equipment, and travel costs to national tournaments. If all of us chip in just $50- $100, we can
EASILY raise the $30,000 needed to sponsor our own team, and support kids around the country who live in an area without an NJTL Excellence Team. Please join me in giving back and making a difference to this next generation of student-athletes!
I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving next week! I am looking forward to an exciting week of high school football playoffs (pray no injuries), one son coming home from school, and, unfortunately, an eye surgery. I will be taking December off to recover from surgery and enjoy the holidays with family. Yes, I am one of the crazies that tends to go a bit overboard at Christmas. Imagine that?! Go big, or go home! :-)
Good luck to everyone in your holiday sports madness, exams, and family mayhem! Have a happy Thanksgiving, a wonderful holiday season, and I will see you in the 2020!
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I was recently invited to be part of a USTA Foundation Fantasy Camp at the USTA Campus in Orlando, Florida. It was an incredible weekend with many great speakers and coaches, including Chris Evert, Sloane Stephens, Nick Bollettieri, Jim Courier, Jimmy Arias, and Brian Godfried. One of my favorite events was having breakfast with Gil Reyes, Andre Agassi (and many other top players') long-time trainer.
Gil Reyes is an imposing figure and yet, surprisingly sensitive and protective when speaking about the bond between athletes and their coaches. We enjoyed breakfast as a group, with top donors from the USTA Foundation, coaches, and the kids in the NJTL Excellence Team College Pathway Camp. It was very moving to have the kids sharing breakfast directly with the donors who made it possible for them to play competitive tennis at the elite level.
After the breakfast, Gil shared some of his "Words of Wisdom for Parents & Coaches".
1. I tell my athletes, “We are all dreamers. I hope your backbone is as big as your wishbone.” You must be
ALL IN. Wishing and hoping doesn’t get you anywhere, you must be committed to the work.
2. When developing your athlete, ask yourself,
"Are you BUILDING them up or BEATING them up?"
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LeBron James Says 'AAU Coaches Don't Give a F--k' While Discussing Bronny, Bryce
As the debate over load management in the NBA continues, one of the factors regularly brought up is the increasingly demanding schedule young prospects face on the AAU circuit.
10 Reasons Teens Have So Much Anxiety Today
We've created an environment that fosters anxiety rather than resilience.
I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike
Mary Cain’s male coaches were convinced she had to get “thinner, and thinner, and thinner.” Then her body started breaking down.
Ash Barty's mentor helped her soar in tennis and in life — and his advice can help you too
To become your best self, he says, you first need to let go of the things you can't control and focus on the things you can.
20 Minutes With: Former World No. 1 Tennis Player Andre Agassi on Education
"I did help children in a lot of different ways, but I recognize that the only way to make systemic change for underserved children was through education ”
Dear Parent: Is Your Sideline Behavior Distracting Your Child or Helping?
Parents on the sidelines insert themselves too much in their child’s performance and shift from supporting their child during a game, to distracting them.
Failure Can Be A Gift, But If You’re Looking For Success, Try This…
No matter how many times you fail, all you need is to get up and try again. But this study shows it’s a lot more than that; you need to learn what you did wrong, figure out how to do it better, and then apply and implement it into future attempts.
What Kind of Parent You Are, According to Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type
If you haven’t yet identified your Myers-Briggs personality type, we highly recommend you do so. (Take your time. We’ll wait.) While understanding your specific traits won’t change our high-pressure parenting culture, it could give you new insight into how you navigate it, for better and for worse (because hey, we’re all mixed bags)
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Andre Agassi was recently asked:
"What's an important piece of advice you give children to succeed?"
Andre's response was, "The first thing they should do is to define success. Define it wisely because defining it by economics or defining it by winning in sports is not a sustainable piece. Define success for yourself. And, then make sure your days reflect the values that you claim are important to you. And that’s a discipline every day. Every day is an opportunity to take that step."
"Focus on what’s important to you, and then make sure that you live it."
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"Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood", by Jeffrey Marx
Last week, at the USTA Campus in Orlando, a group of us had breakfast with Gil Reyes, Andre Agassi's long-time trainer. Gil spoke about his philosophy on coaching and suggested we all read "Seasons of Life". I downloaded it for my flight home and have ordered a hard copy to have on hand as well.
Season of Life is a book about what it means to be a man of substance and impact. It is a moving story that will resonate with athletes, coaches, parents—anyone struggling to make the right choices in life.
This book hit home with me on multiple fronts, as a coach and as a mother of boys. Much of his philosophy on coaching and sports are similar to the experiences my boys have had playing football. I immediately realized that this book had articulated the reasons I am grateful for the coaches my sons have had in their lives.
I can't recommend this book strongly enough! Many of us get into coaching to make an impact in a child's life, and as parents, this book articulates what we are hoping our children get out of sports.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and make it a holiday gift for the special coaches in your life!
Amazon's Description
Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL football star and volunteer coach for the Gilman high school football team, teaches his players the keys to successful defense: penetrate, pursue, punish, love. Love? A former captain of the Baltimore Colts and now an ordained minister, Ehrmann is serious about the game of football but even more serious about the purpose of life. Season of Life is his inspirational story as told by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, who was a ballboy for the Colts when he first met Ehrmann.
Ehrmann now devotes his life to teaching young men a whole new meaning of masculinity. He teaches the boys at Gilman the precepts of his Building Men for Others program: Being a man means emphasizing relationships and having a cause bigger than yourself. It means accepting responsibility and leading courageously. It means that empathy, integrity, and living a life of service to others are more important than points on a scoreboard.
Has anyone else read this book or have a great book to share? I would love your thoughts and suggestions in our
#Get a Grip Facebook Group. Or you can
EMAIL me here.
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This issue's
Meaningful Meals
conversation starter:
"Would you rather be an only child or have ten siblings?"
This issue's
Meaningful Meals
recipe:
BBQ Chicken Legs (Brined & Lollipoped):
You never know what you are going to get when you ask kids, "What do you want for dinner tonight?". But even I was shocked when the answer was," BBQ chicken legs, brined and lollipopped, please." We figured the best thing to do was to put them to work and teach them how to prepare it. Proof is in the pictures, they did it!
Don't be intimidated! It is quick & easy and the kids will have fun (or get grossed out) helping with the prep.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken legs per person
- Kosher or Sea salt (non-iodized)
- 1 gallon of water
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- BBQ Sauce of choice
Directions:
Optional but recommended:
- Brine the chicken in 1/2 to 1 gallon of water, depending on how much chicken. Do it in the morning before making it for dinner
- 3/4 cup kosher or sea salt and 1/2 cup sugar per gallon of water
- Warm 1/2 of the water on the stove and add sugar and salt. Heat until dissolved
- Add the remaining water COLD, can use a mix of ice and water
- Add chicken legs to brine and refrigerate 8-12 hours
Cooking:
- Remove chicken legs from the brine, rinse and pat dry.
- Using a boning or paring knife, cut around the small part of the leg through the skin but not through the connective tissue/tendons
- Using the knife as a scraping tool, scrape the chicken leg meat up the tendons so that as much of the tendons can be removed and chicken pushed up towards the “lollipop” end
- Cut away the tendons from both bone and meat as much as possible
- Using your (clean) hand, push up the meat and skin into a tight lollipop ball
- Wrap the exposed bone with aluminum foil
- Grill or bake lollipops with your favorite marinade or BBQ sauce (our favorite is Ed Gaile)
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Last week I was honored to be included in a USTA Foundation Fantasy camp for donors of the NJTL Excellence Programs. It was an incredible experience for all of us... to see the top student-athletes from the NJTL Program sharing meals, stories, and advice from the donors who make it possible for them to play competitive tennis. Truly,
"From Community Courts to College. Serving Up Dreams."
In a partnership between the USTA Foundation and Player Development, the
Excellence Program
consists of 14 teams nationwide, comprised of 200 of the best student-athletes in the NJTL network.
My goal for this holiday season is to have former players raise $30,000 to fund an Excellence Team. All of us, as players, coaches, and parents, know the benefits we have received from playing competitive sports. It is our turn to give back and ensure this generation benefits from the same life experiences we did as scholar-athletes. If all of us donate $50-$100, we can fund an Excellence Team! How easy is that?!
The Excellence Program helps fund the required educational, travel, tennis training, and tournament experiences, to foster their opportunity to succeed on and off the court.
Click here for more information.
Few facts:
- All the student-athletes have a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- 10 players have been ranked top 10 in the nation
- 22 of the seniors received full or partial academic scholarships
- All the coaches are USPTA/PTR and Safe Sport certified
- College Pathway Camp is designed for 16 players from the national program to train for a weekend in Orlando
Thanks to the USTA Foundation and the NJTL Excellence Teams, kids use tennis as the vehicle and motivation for excellence as they train toward college.
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I love meeting my readers. Please email me to ask a question and share your thoughts on #Get a Grip.
Do you have ideas for books, recipes, and organizations that we should share in a future newsletter?
If so, click here to email me!
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Thank you for reading!
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