Coach Bre 1:34

If you've got a girl athlete and you're anywhere near the Cleveland area, or you can hop on a plane to get there, you're going to wanna join me live and in person on May 9th, I am doing a workshop in Cleveland, Ohio called from pressure to power. This is for girl athletes. And also for their parents. So I get to do a really fun workshop for both of them. We're going to work with athletes first on how to manage the pressure of their sports, giving them really simple mental training skills that will help them in their sport, but also in life. And then we're also working with the parents of these athletes on how parents can best support their athlete daughters in their sport experience. This is gonna open up. An amazing conversation with athletes and parents that maybe has never been had before. I also get to be on a panel with other amazing women, leaders and athletes who are going to be sharing their stories and really inspiring these athletes who are going to be at this event now. This whole event has come together because of one woman named Mary Herrick. She has been in the tennis world for 40 years, probably even more is what she said in our interview as a teacher, as a coach, as a player, just loving the sport and seeing so many athletes come through and she has organized all of this so that we can give this wonderful event. To athletes and to parents. So you get to hear from Mary, her vision, how this all came together, what the day is going to look like. And again, if you're anywhere near the Cleveland area, I would love for you to join me live and in person. Tickets are going fast, so you can grab yours@uscoaches.org. At the time of this recording, we are almost full. So if you're listening to this, go, go and grab one. It is even worth a plane trip to get over there. I am making the trip across the country so that I can be there, and I would love to see you there too. But enjoy this episode where you get to hear the vision behind how this event all came together. And without further ado, here is Mary. All right. I am joined by Mary Herrick. I am really excited to have Mary kind of give a overview of what we're gonna be doing together on May 9th. So, Mary, before we get started into the actual event itself, I just want people to know who you are. You have been in the tennis world for. Apparently over 40 years.

Ruth 3:54

So how did you get into coaching and what has kept you there? Yeah. Great. Thanks. It's nice to be here. It's nice to be with you. actually, I, started teaching when I was about 16 years old and it was because I was playing so much tennis at the time and, had to earn some of that court time that I was using up every week. So, started teaching, loved teaching, loved the whole teaching aspect. I think probably the thing that's a little bit different about what tennis does, other than, there's a coaching, but there's also a tennis teaching professional. So very early on in my career, I actually got involved with the, what was the United States Professional Tennis Association, and it is now the RSPA, which is the Racket Sports Professionals Association. that's where I really was educated about being a tennis teaching professional. it was very nice that between that and the United States Tennis Association, there all the educational opportunities that were available. And then of course, all of the people and the networking, so that you were actually with like-minded people, which was really a lot of fun.

Coach Bre 5:01

So. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I mean, you've probably seen it and experienced a lot over all of those years, and I'm so glad that a person like you is in the sport. You've impacted so many, so many athletes. Thank you. and I mean, in that time you probably, because we've talked about this, you've watched some kids quit their sport over the years and it clearly bothers you.

Ruth 5:24

and I'm just curious. Where do you think that comes from? Was there something specific that you have seen in your experience, in coaching and in teaching, you know, kids that are stepping away from the sport. What are you seeing? Yeah. You know, Brie, it's funny because I think that kids have so many opportunities to do things today. There's so many more options of things that kids can do. So I think, as I said, when you're teaching, kids tennis, for example, you might start out with those kids when they're five years old and you may start out when they're 10 years old or maybe going right into high school. So depending on the age of the child. It really depends where you're at with them, teaching them what you're teaching them. It's more than just skills. You're connecting with them where they are and trying to really meet them, connect with them, find out what they're all about so that you can keep them engaged in the sport, but also. The fun aspect. Okay. Because that's the most important thing of the whole sport, is them having fun. I think that we really kind of do a good job with that, and I think that we have over the years, because I always tell people that, with tennis it's, it's important to me that they, reach their God-given talent, but it also. Is important to me that they play as an adult because that's the nice thing about tennis is that it is a lifetime sport. And so as kids grow up and whether they play college tennis or, or they do not play college tennis, they do come back and they play tennis as an adult and a lot of times they come back and play with their family. So for me, that's the most important part about coaching. I think that sometimes, today, in today's world, it you really have to provide a, a, a source of entertainment for kids because they're very used to having high expectations of their entertainment. So when they come to the club, for example, we really try to make things fun for them. And again, I think the comradery they build with the other kids that they're participating with really has a lot to do with them staying engaged in the sport. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that does, that does make a, a huge difference. And, I do want to kind of nod to the, to the fact that you have created an environment where a lot of kids stay in it because they're, you know, at that intersection of, it's challenging, but it's also fun.

Coach Bre 7:44

And so that, you know, that's kind of what we need in order for kids to stay in their sport. Also, I think this leads into why we're doing what we're doing, with our event. that's called pressure from pressure to power. So we don't also want to ignore the fact that there are a lot of pressures that come with the sport, and there's a lot of reasons that kids walk away, including myself. When I was 18, I quit a sport. I quit volleyball, that I was really good at getting college offers, you know. Yeah, I, from the outside was the image of like, she's so successful and is gonna go on to go play and do amazing things. And instead, I decided to walk away because of the pressure that no one was talking about at the time, and no one was giving us skills on how to manage it and to normalize it and all of those things. And. Long story short, I did get an opportunity to go back and, and play in college, but, it was, it was a long road. And I do want to, talk about like what we're gonna be helping equipping athletes with on this side of the game with this event. Mm-hmm. So can you talk about how you found us, how you found the elite competitor and what made you want to reach out in the first place to put something together for athletes?

Ruth 8:54

Sure. So I think that kids, kids in their sports, they, people are so much more sophisticated now, with the things that they're looking for in order to develop, as a really great athlete. And so it's been very important to me. to change with the times. Okay. So to speak. And I think that people specialize in the things that they do now. So, for example, that we have coaches that are, that are really, really good at working with tournament level players. And we have some coaches that are really good at working with younger players. And last year we actually took a group of kids to work on. Footwork skills, footwork skills only. And so when I, I actually encountered you because I don't know if I got an email and I started researching the information and then I actually got on one of your calls and just absolutely loved what you were teaching the girls. So oddly enough, I'm at my tennis club and I said, you know, I think we're gonna bring this lady in to Cleveland. And she's really exciting and she's really good at mental. Skills for the kids. And somebody said to me, it isn't Coach Bre is it? And I went, yes. Do you know her? And, and she goes, yes, we use her all the time. And her daughter is a very accomplished volleyball player. And they were so excited and I thought, I'm just gonna reach out to her and see if we can put this together. So I'm, I'm very excited. do you want me to talk a little bit about the event? Yeah, that's, that's where we're gonna go next. So, when you first describe what you wanted the event to look like, like what do you, what do you want families to walk away feeling the athlete like, tell us your vision. Okay. My vision would be that the parents have a better communication with their child. Okay. In knowing what to say when their children are in the heat of the moment because that car ride home after a tennis tournament can be brutal. Mm-hmm. And I think, I think tennis is a, tennis is a very tough parent sport. I always tell people it's probably one of the hardest because. You go to a tournament and you have to sit there and you really can't engage at all. It's not like basketball or volleyball or something where you can yell and you can cheer and you can, you have to sit there pretty quiet. And so what happens is at the end of the match, if the parent really was thinking something during the course of the match, they haven't had an opportunity to express that at all. And the next thing that happens is whether their daughter won or lost. They're getting in a car together and they're driving home. And so what happens in that car ride home? Right? That's so important. And so I think that parents really want to know how to support their children. I think coaches want to know how to better support their players, and I think that, that's something we hope to learn from you while you're here.

Coach Bre 11:42

Yeah. Yeah. We're definitely going, gonna be going into that. It's, it's a unique, I'm glad that you brought up that unique dynamic with tennis because we have a lot of tennis families inside our mental training program, the elite mental game, who say exactly that. They're like, yes. First of all. The athlete is also out there from what I, I never played tennis, but mm-hmm. from what I've observed and what people have told me, that the athlete is kind of out there by themselves too. They can't, they don't really get coached like their coach isn't. That's correct. Isn't there either You're not allowed Yeah. To be, yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So it's just creates this dynamic where. The athlete themselves need, they need to have mental skills for themselves.'cause they're not relying on a coach, a parent, like anything like that. So they're out there by themselves, like, and their own thoughts and their own reactions and all of that, which just makes it even more important. And then, like you said, now the flood gates are open. Yes. And the car ride home because the parents's, like, I haven't had to be, I, I had to stay quiet and now it's my chance, so. Right. Yeah. We're, yes. We're gonna, going over all that. Tennis can, tennis can be a, a very difficult sport because you're right, you are alone. You are by yourself and you're out there. But that's one of the advantages of it as well, because I think a lot of kids become very independent and they learn to be independent thinkers, and I think that's very good. That's an advantage to our sport. You're so right there too. on that though, in your decades of coaching. What have you noticed the difference between an athlete who can handle the pressure and figure it out and those that don't?

Ruth 13:24

What have you observed as kind there? Hmm. You know, I think sometimes it's harder for children that are highly competitive. In tennis, it is because they are alone, and I think that sometimes that makes it more difficult for them because the, the, the fear of losing is such a big factor to them. And then you have the child that is the perfectionist. And in tennis or any sport, it's never gonna be perfect. And so I think that that's very difficult for kids to deal with. I'm very excited to, listen to some of the techniques that I know you have, for the kids to work their way through those problems. I think that, the kids that maybe are not. don't take the competition quite as serious and focus more on the process, which is what we try to get kids to do more on the process moving forward. I usually tell kids and, and we talk to them about the fact that you probably really need to learn to lose before you're gonna learn to win. And that's okay. Yeah. You know, because I think that when you lose, you learn. Okay. And therefore, you know, those are, those are really important lessons for them to learn very early on when they start playing.

Coach Bre 14:39

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So important. Yeah. Well, let's talk about the day a little bit. We've kind of hinted at it, but the morning we're going to, have a workshop for athletes, and we're going to talk about some of those specific skills that athletes can be using in their sports. So we're gonna be going over. Something called the snapback routine and how to get over mistakes fast. Because the faster you can do that, the more you can actually play how you wanna play. We're gonna talk about some of the pressures that come with sports. And it's not, not just tennis, I'm, I assume there's gonna be a lot of tennis athletes there, but, the pressures that come with, with playing sports and how to manage that, we're gonna be talking about the car ride home and what parents can be doing to be more supportive. We're gonna have a really fun activity where, athletes and their parents are going to actually engage with each other. Around what's supportive and what's not, which is going to lead to some really great conversations. and then in the afternoon we're going to be, hosting a panel and. We'll talk more about that in a second, but just knowing like kind of how the day is going to be flowing.

Ruth 15:40

Mary, what are you most excited about when it comes to this event? Actually, I think the thing that's most exciting to me is that there are gonna be all different types of athletes there. I mean, I think we have, we have tennis, but we have soccer, we have volleyball, we have track, we have swimming. I mean, there are just athletes all across the board that are gonna be there. So that, that's really fun for me. I think the opportunity for them to talk and, and share, will really be important, the collaboration with, with the students that are gonna be there. So that's a lot of fun. You know, we have a really great mc for the event, Dobie Moser, who was gonna be there, and Dobie was actually on the Olympic Committee. So he is so knowledgeable and I'm so excited that he's gonna be there. He's gonna work with you and the panelists. I think that'll be very exciting. And you know, we are, we're almost sold out. I hate to tell you that, but we're almost sold out. Yeah, we're, we're getting right up to that, to that number. So that's really good. I think everybody's so excited about coming. And, we're gonna start out the morning and we're going to have you work with the parents. And then we're, we're gonna have a beautiful light lunch where everybody will be together and then we will have the panelists after that. So it's very exciting.

Coach Bre 16:53

Yeah, it is. And I wanna talk about the panelists, including Dobie a little bit too. I mean, you already already mentioned him a bit, but he's a huge asset to this, event as well. And I keep looking at this panelist lineup and think like, this is not normal. Like these, all these women are on this panel have played at very high levels, navigated real pressure, real doubt. Yeah. You have extraordinary wisdom to share. And I get to be on the panel too, which honestly feels surreal. I feel like a little fish in this. big pond of, of athletes that you brought in. So, of course, yes. I will be part of it. I'll share my story. Mm-hmm. Including the part about quitting, because I think that a lot of athletes that, you know, we've worked with thousands of athletes and many of them, if they haven't had the little thought, they've, they've wondered like, Ooh, is this, is this worth it? Is this, you know, and so I think it just connects, so well with athletes who are like. Yeah, the pressure is there and is my sport going to be worth it? And once they learn skills and once they kind of hear from, hear stories from other athletes, they're like, okay, alright. I have more clarity moving forward and I wanna actually stay in this, so I'll be on there. and also speaking from like a coach perspective, a parent perspective, an athlete, all of that. we also have Katie, ARD. So she is a. Two time Winter Olympian, 1984, 1988, a world champion bronze medal, five World Cup medals. Then she ran USA speed skating as an executive director for 16 years and was inducted into the US speed Skating Hall of Fame. And she's coming to Cleveland, so she's on the panel. we have Cassie Sand. So she is a division one basketball player. at Dayton. She had four straight NCAA tournament appearances, played professionally in Italy and Australia. Now she's this senior graphic designer for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the WNBA in Cleveland. So she is local to Cleveland area. Area, which is great. we also have Brianne McLaughlin. So, two Olympic appearances for her. One of the most decorated gold tenders in women's ice hockey history. I can't believe this stat. 3,809 Career saves. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that incredible? Oh, that's. Yeah, that's NCAA record. yeah, she was the Bel Cup, MVP. She became the first woman to coach men's Division one hockey. She's now the goalie coach for the US Women's National Team. She's gonna be sitting just a few feet from your daughter and her least me. I mean, these women are phenomenal. And, yeah. Anything you wanna add on any of of them?

Ruth 19:19

Because you, you have handpicked these, these women. Yeah. So Brianne, I, I know her. we actually had her come and talk to our kids at our tennis club. What an amazing story. Wait till she shares with the girls, all the things that she went through to play in the Olympics, and then going to the Olympics and the competition itself.

Coach Bre 19:38

It's really, really exciting. I mean, to, to hear her story, so yeah. I think they're, they're gonna really enjoy this. This is a great lineup of people, so, yeah. Yeah. Very exciting. And then, as you mentioned, Dobie is going to be moderating this panel, and you already mentioned a little bit about your connection to him and his connection to the community. Right. But, yeah, can you share a little bit more about him? Like you said that he did serve on the US Olympic committee, anything else about Dobie that that is gonna be noteworthy to this? You know, he, he is a very, very amazing man. He actually was the co-director of the University of Notre Dame's play like a champion, which every everyone knows that training program.

Ruth 20:22

It's just, it's incredible. It's at Notre Dame. He also built the program for CYO for the Catholic Youth Organization and there are 24,000 families in northeast Ohio that participate in CYO sports and he's been with them for years. So he is so used to dealing with children, their families, and the right attitude in sports. So we are very lucky to have him be the facilitator. I'm, I'm excited about it. Yeah. He's a little familiar with sports. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's awesome. So he is going to be moderating and adding in his, his wisdom and his tidbits. It'll, it'll be great to Yes. To hear from him as well. Yes. Obviously this is an important event that's happening on. One day, but this is, this is bigger than that. So I'm not sure if you're familiar, Mary, with the stat that 94% of C-suite women played sports. but we know that girls who stay in sports are less anxious, less depressed, more resilient, but none of that happens if they quit at age 13, which is the common age. We know that stat around that. Most 70% of girls quit their sport by age 13. So, Mary, after 40 years of watching kids come through your programs, What do you hope that this event does for them beyond May 9th? I, I'm hoping that this is a game changer for a lot of them, and I, I want this to be a lifetime memory. So what they take from here, I'm hoping that some someday, way down the road, they look and, and remember some of the things that they learned from you and the people that are there and they can apply those, those lessons to their life. and that this is a, a lifetime memory for them, which I think it will be.

Coach Bre 22:07

And I do think it's going to be a game changer for a lot of people, including the parents. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, last question. If you could speak directly to the mom or the girl that's maybe on the fence about coming, like, oh, this could be cool. We'll see. What would you say? What would you say to them? Oh my goodness.

Ruth 22:27

I would not pass up an opportunity like this for your daughter to grow, for your relationship to get better because you can strengthen your relationship and the fact that it's almost a celebration of girls and women because there are gonna be so many people there from our community, and I just think you wouldn't wanna miss it because I think people are gonna be talking about it for a long time.

Coach Bre 22:49

So we don't wanna miss this event. It's gonna be a life changer. Yeah. Okay. I love that. So for everyone who's listening, Saturday, May 9th, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Market Square in Crocker Park, Westlake, Ohio. Tickets are under a hundred dollars for a parent athlete together, which is amazing. So to register all of the information will be in the description below, but@uscoaches.org. And this, again, I'm just, I'm really excited to be in person and to connect with so many, yeah. athletes and parents who will be there live. And we're almost full like Mary said. So if you're listening to this, I would, and, and it's still open, then I would, I would hop on it. So, at the time of this recording, I think, we only have a handful of of seats left, so thank you Mary, so much for being on and I can't wait to see you in just little bit. I know. I can't wait to see you too. Thank you so much.