The Six Mentors and a College Team

Oops, I missed a day writing yesterday. When I walked into the house last evening it was around 11:20 and I just wanted to crawl into the bed as barn duties were just around the corner. The reason for the late night was because I was hanging with the team for one of our rare late night practices. On top of the practice the team had an opportunity to interact with six acquaintances from my time in the tennis industry. These men ranged from a recent college graduate, an ENT (ears, nose, and throat doctor), an insurance guy with massive ties in the tennis industry, a very good teaching pro, a former college coach, and a successful business owner. These men have taken their time to mentor the team and give back in the best way they can. They are all accomplished tennis players. All of them had great, some would say spectacular, college careers and then have used that to become what they all are today. They were open, transparent, and didn’t pull any punches with the talent they saw versus where the players were within the scope of the team. Since I don’t have an assistant having other voices confirm, and at times giving a different voice, what we are striving for is a great help.

Tennis is such an individual pursuit when a player is competing that we often forget that it takes a great group to get to that point. There are the coaches, trainers, strength coaches, training crew, and hours of work to get to the point that player is looking across the net at his singular opponent. Many players have a small group of friends that are great at support but bad at giving the hard advice. This is where this group of six comes in to fill that void. They have nothing to gain, are already successful in their chosen field, and have been in the battles themselves. When a player complains about whatever it is they want to complain about these guys have a response that once was told to them. Experience is a teacher that is best told straight. No matter how many times I say it I am the coach and for most of the time the only voice they hear. Once that message comes from someone else there is a confirmation that gives credence to what they have heard. Some of the funny moments from last evening was when the players asked about me. I am usually brutally honest with my team and sometimes the things I say seem a bit outrageous. It was humorous to hear those stories verified by the group of six last night. The faces on the players were a mixture of “oh okay,” and “shoot, he wasn’t pulling our leg.”

It is impossible to thank the six for taking so much of their time and spending it with the team but I cannot wait until they can do it again. The team is great group of guys and I want them to be as successful as they desire. I missed writing last night but it was worth of hour of missed sleep. Find the group that can push your desires out of your comfort zone and you will more than likely reach what you are searching for.