Alexis Levi - Sports for Life

Sports for Life is a non-profit 501(3)-c organization formed to bring public awareness, education and community empowerment to combat Hypertropic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Alexis Levi co-chairperson of Sports for Life wears many important hats, including mother, registered nurse, entrepreneur, and former athlete; she is proud to be the first African American woman to own a professional basketball team, the Las Vegas Stars. Alexis’s goal is to raise awareness in the athletic area as well as to educate every athlete to the signs and symptoms of HCM.  The Sports for Life Mission: To provide a high profile avenue for coaches, students and parents to learn about the signs and symptoms of HCM the leading cause of Sudden Cardiac Arrest among athletes and children. 

SZ:  In layman’s terms define Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). 

AL: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the leading cause of sudden death or cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes. HCM is a disorder that causes the heart muscle to become thick. The thickening makes it harder for blood to leave the heart, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood. HCM is frequently asymptomatic until SCD. Prevention requires screening. Screening by medical history and physical exam are ineffective. HCM is detected with 80% accuracy by echocardiograms, combined with pre-screening by electrocardiograms (ECG’s). 

SZ: What percentage of the youth athletic population in the United States is affected by this condition? 

AL: It varies. In the last few years the incidences of HCM have risen. I was doing some research the other day and discovered that at the end of January 2012 there had been ten deaths from HCM that were noted. It seems to be increasing. What we are trying to do at Sports for Life is to hone in on the kids from second grade at ten years old and then follow their health into high school. While younger kids are likely to have a more severe form of HCM the condition is seen in people of all ages. HCM is generally regarded as the most common cause of SDC in athletes. 

SZ: What are the most common symptoms that parents, athletes, and coaches need to be aware of regarding this condition? 

AL: Shortness of breath, dizziness, the athlete was exerting him/herself at a regular rate and becomes more fatigued than usual. Those are common symptoms and those symptoms can be created by many things. So a lot of the time the coaches, parents and  kids don’t recognize the symptoms to be tied to something wrong with their heart. There is an assessment form that can be downloaded through the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA). 

SZ: Are the symptoms significant enough that they would prompt the child to say to their parent that, “It’s not just that I’ve run really hard but it feels like I am exerting myself and getting light-headed.”

AL: Light-headed and dizziness seem to be symptoms that are talked about because the blood is not getting to the heart. Younger kids just don’t really know how to add that up. I have a friend whose son just passed away not too long ago and that’s what kind of pushed me into hyper gear to begin working on this education for athletes, parents and coaches. We’ve put together a great board of people and I’ve been talking to a lot of ex-pro athletes as well as pro athletes. These people are coming on board to for us because sometimes awareness only comes when you know people that have the media’s attention are saying something. 

SZ: Is this disorder age related?

AL:  There are two different points of view. In some instances it’s said that it’s age related and they are seeing more incidences in high school. But when you begin doing research then you notice it is happening in younger children. There isn’t yet a registry for reporting this death. A group of us are trying to start a registry. But there is no real registry that says these are all the kids struck down by HCM. There are estimations. 

I was talking to people at Parent Heart Watch and they told me that most of the time when HCM is reported if it’s not reported by a physician in a hospital or a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) then it usually doesn’t show up. If it’s reported in a camp or summer camp those numbers don’t necessarily show up as having passed from this disorder. 

SZ: Which organizations are conducting studies or following studies of this disorder?

AL: The one that I’ve seen that has the most in-depth research is the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA). We use their questionnaire for the kids we work with. HCMA participates on the legislative side of things. They are trying to get legislation passed that every athlete that plays an organized sport whether it’s in a high school or an athletic association would also have to be tested to participate.  HCMA is working at the legislative level along with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). Our organization SFL on the other hand is more focused on the grass roots level. One of the things that we are doing that’s different from other organizations is we are trying to get face to face with the kids - athletes. SFL is focusing solely on the athletic population because of my background and the folks we have on our board it is a natural fit for us. 

SZ: What events prompted you to take up the call to educate, parents, athletes and coaches about this condition?

AL: A few things happened. I own a basketball team  Las Vegas Stars and had received quite a bit of publicity and made a lot of relationships in the sports world. It happened that when I became aware of HMC a few people had sent me some articles and prompted me to take a look at this issue. Coinciding with this Good Morning America did a big story on the subject. That prompted the sports community to take a look at this issue. I already had an organization along with an associate of mine called Sports for Life.  One of the things we found is that there were many people who thought this outreach needed to be done. What really prompted me to take more steps forward to put together this program was I met Lisa Salberg, Founder and CEO of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. When we met she told me things that were happening on the legislative side and what the challenges are. Our fights are different but similar. She’s fighting on the legislative side and I’m fighting to get into schools and to get coaches to recognize that they need to know more about this condition, as well as get information to parents and athletes. 

SZ: Are there medications for this condition?

AL: There are medications. This link at the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association will offer readers information regarding current drug medications that are given when a person has some or all the symptoms of HCM.

SZ: Do you have any favorite tips, quotes or stories that guide you on your path to educate people about HCM?

AL: The guiding light for me if you will, is that kids deserve to live. They deserve to live in a way where they aren’t afraid. I would love for the sport community to embrace this cause.

Alexis thank you for taking the time to chat with me about HCM and your programs effort to bring awareness to this condition.

Alexis Levi can be contacted at  http://www.wix.com/alseg1/alexislevi

sportsforlifeintl@gmail.com

702.517.9990

*Featured guests are not current nor former clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @ www.examiner.com

Susan Wright - Senior Tennis Star

Susan Mehmedbasich-Wright grew up in Nor. Cal. and began playing competitive tennis at eight years old. During her junior competitive years she was consistently highly ranked both in Nor. Cal. and nationally. At seventeen years old she turned professional and competed on the Women’s Professional Tennis Tour (WTA). At nineteen years old she decided to quit the professional tour and tennis altogether. Twenty-five years after leaving the sport she began to play and compete again. She started back playing some state tournaments in Colorado where she now resides with her husband. Since refocusing on tennis this time as a senior player Wright has won more than 50 U.S.T. A. senior championship titles in singles and doubles.

In 2011, she was a member of the winning U.S.A. Bueno Cup W/50’s, and this year was a team member for the U.S.A. on the winning Maureen Connolly Cup W/55’s played in San Diego in February. Wright won the “Gold Slam” in 2007, and 2008 winning all four national doubles championships in a calendar year. Wright was ITF World Doubles Champion in 2005, 2009 and 2012. She finished 2011 ranked second in the United States in singles winning two national singles tournaments. She is currently ranked number seven in the world in women’s 55’s.

SZ: What were the events that brought you back to the competitive arena?

SW: I moved from California to Grand Junction, Colorado. My dad lived there and I didn’t know a soul when I moved except for my dad and his wife. When my dad invited me to come and hit with him it was a natural way to spend time together.

SZ: It was a way to acclimate to the community and meet new people?

SW: Yeh. I didn’t know a soul in Colorado when I moved there. I moved in November and began hitting with my dad. In April there was a tournament about 300 miles away from where I was living but I didn’t know it was that far away. My dad was going to play in it so I entered it as well. I drove myself and I began to think to myself that I was driving to another state because it took me five hours to get to the tournament.

SZ: Was it physically challenging after putting tennis aside for twenty-five years to begin running around on the court again?

SW: I began playing people at whatever level I began at and it was hard. I don’t have a specific memory but people say when they come to Colorado with the thin air and altitude it’s a little harder to breathe. But I got back into tennis slowly. It wasn’t like I went from not playing very much to a high tournament level.

SZ: A year after restarting tournaments you played the National Hardcourts at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

SW: I couldn’t really walk for about a week after I played that tournament.

SZ: You put a lot of effort into it?

SW: I played a match against the first seed in the quarter-finals and lost 6-3, 7-5 which surprised me. Although the opponent I lost to didn’t win the tournament. I went into the back draw and lost in the first round. I remember that night I couldn’t put the sheet over my toes they hurt so much. My feet were just throbbing. All my toes, the toe nails everything was just throbbing. At first I didn’t put the two together I didn’t know it was because of playing the matches. I just thought this was really odd.

SZ: You didn’t make the connection between your playing and your body's pain.

SW: It was really bad. I had driven from Colorado and when I got out of my car after driving home it was about ten days before I could function again.

SZ: How long did it take for you to know you were going to remain in senior tennis and at what point did you discover you enjoy playing?

SW: I don’t really know that there was a point. The first year back playing I played some tournaments in Colorado. I played a few national tournaments and the following year I only played tournaments in Colorado again.

SZ: What age group were you playing in?

SW: It was my first year in the W45’s. I played a category two national tournament in Marin, CA. and my husband came along so we played mixed doubles. I won the singles. I wasn’t in great playing shape so it was tough in that I couldn’t put the ball away. In the finals I thought I was going to die because I was running all over the court and my legs were tired and I was out of breath. But I won.

SZ: But you didn’t quit.

SW: No, I didn’t quit.

SZ: A lot of people would have given up. But you have a stick-to-it-ive-ness.

SW: You mean during the match, or quit tennis afterwards?

SZ: Many people would have gone “this is too much work.” But you have this wonderful stick-to-it-ive-ness.

SW: I was hanging in there. Because of that tournament win I was chosen to play on the Margaret Court Cup Team for the W/45’s. I kept playing national tournaments and began playing better and getting physically back into it. That was kind of the beginning. I was married on a Saturday in 2003, and left on Wednesday for the Margaret Court Cup in Germany. Becoming a member of the Cup Team was a pivotal point because now I was competing with the big girls (world players). I was beginning to meet people and was reaching the semis and finals of tournaments. In 2003 at the Indoors my doubles partner at the time Phyllis Zilm from Colorado and I won the tournament and that was my first gold ball as an adult.

SZ: For ten consecutive years you’ve been selected to the International Tennis Federation Seniors World Team Championship representing team United States. What the best part of competing for the United States?

SW: It’s really cool when everyone is wearing their uniform it’s kinda like the Senior Olympics. We all work together as a team. The Cup is probably my favorite part of playing now.

SZ: Does participating as a member of a team have unique challenges different from competing as an individual?

SW: I enjoy that my team members are on the side-lines watching and pulling for me. Team members also serve as coaches. They can talk with you during change-overs. Sometimes they offer advice. Sometimes we chat about whatever. It’s just really fun.

SZ: You experience the team as all benefits.

SW: Yes. You’ve got people on the side-lines when you are playing and if you need ice, a towel, a banana the coach is running around providing whatever the player requests. 2005 was the first year that I played singles on a Cup Team and then I played in The Worlds which is an individual tournament the following week. It was a huge let down afterwards. After my first experience of competing with team members then returning to compete as an individual it was hard. One reason it was hard was because I was completely exhausted from The Cup Tournament. I hadn’t played two tournaments back to back since competing on the pro circuit. I had played five days in a row then to try and compete again at that high level the following week, I was mentally and physically exhausted.

That was 2005 and in 2006 it was a similar experience. I remember beating a player in three sets that I had beaten the week before during the Cup Matches. We were in South Africa playing on clay. At the end of the match there were about forty stairs I had to walk up from the court. I looked at the stairs and I put my tennis stuff down and almost began crying. I thought my legs would not get me up those stairs. I sat at the bottom of those stairs for about thirty minutes.

SZ: Had you experienced that level of physical fatigue as a junior player?

SW: No, that’s what I remember because I played all the time. I began playing at eight and there was no time to get out of shape. The last five years of competing have been easier for me because my play and physical conditioning have picked up.

SZ: As a junior player you played in multiple age groups and women’s tournaments occasionally at the same time. You can be described as having “heightened court sense.” Do you think this instinctual ability developed through the early coaching you received or through the variety and volume of matches you played in your junior years?

SW: It’s probably a little bit of a lot of things. A lot of people who play no matter how much they are coached their ability only takes them so far. There were lots of kids growing up that were good but in their heads they couldn’t do it. I think it’s a bunch of factors and you’ve go to have several of them to succeed. When I play father/daughter tournaments I can identify some components that will distinguish teams that are successful.

SZ: What are the components?

SW: Experience, physical mobility, age, physical ability - (shot production), chemistry between the father/daughter. Do they build each other up with their on court communication? Or do they become angry at each other or themselves? There is an intuitive sense I have for the court. When there is a space to hit into whether I am playing singles or doubles I just feel it.

SZ: You can tell if an opponent doesn’t have this intuition on the court. When you watch a match you can tell if the players aren’t clued in by the way they are handling the court.

SW: Players learn a lot of things when they are young. I played at least fifteen tournaments a year all through the juniors and into the pro’s.

SZ: In what ways had the game changed when you returned after twenty-five years that has made playing more fun or interesting for you physically, technically, mentally?

SW: The game today is just faster. Everyone is stronger, taller, fitter at least in the professional arena. We never went to the gym. All the gym work is making players faster and stronger.

SZ: Do you have a work-out program you do with a trainer?

SW: For ten years I went to the gym and just did a little bit. Everyone laughs at me, even my non playing friends. They would say, “ Are you kidding? That’s all you can do?” I used to think a trainer just sat there and counted reps or motivated you to go to the gym. Recently I hired a trainer and I’m giving it a good go this year to see how much stronger I can become.

SZ: How is working with a trainer going?

SW: It’s been fun. I didn’t think I would like going to the gym. The trainer makes these little programs for me that I do with him. I came home from the clay courts this year and I wasn’t really as tired as I have been.

SZ: Of the current top 20 WTA professional players pick one that you would love to play and why.

SW: Maria Sharapova. I would love to hit with her because we could hit the cover off the ball with each other. Have a slug fest. It would be really fun.

SZ: Which tournament win in recent years has had the most meaning to you and why?

SW: The Cup in New Zealand a year ago. We were there during the 6.3 earthquake. There were three different sites and we were not at the epicenter of the earthquake but we were walking down the street when the earthquake hit. Winning the Cup in New Zealand made the whole trip interesting and meaningful.

SZ: How many weeks out of the year are you traveling as you prepare and play?

SW: Last year I was away about 12-14 weeks. My next event is May 18th, the Chicago Indoors.

SZ: You are in business as a Mary Kay Cosmetics consultant and now sales director. How do you juggle playing the schedule you keep and your business career?

SW: There are not sales quotas at Mary Kay. It’s up to me to grow and sustain my business. There are no “have to’s.”

SZ: The job allows for flexibility.

SW: A lot of player’s are now using Mary Kay Cosmetic products. I bring product with me every where I go. Most player's know I am a consultant and if they show interest I connect with them at tournaments. Everyone needs sunscreen.

SZ: Do you find there is carry over in discipline/organization of work and playing?

SW: I’ve become much more organized in the last 7/8 years. Otherwise I couldn’t do what I am doing. I am away for a month playing then home for 2-3 weeks then leave again. The new technologies help. I have an I-phone that keeps me more organized.

SZ: Do you have any favorite quotes, tips, stories that have guided you on your senior tennis journey?

SW: I try to maintain a positive outlook on life. It all depends on how you look at things. On the court I just play each point. When I play each point I don’t have to pay so much attention to the score.

SZ: It keeps you focused.

SW: It’s been fun. Tennis has kept me healthy and strong.

Susan thanks so much for taking time out of your busy life to chat about your tennis playing days in the seniors


*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @www.examiner.com

Dr. Kevin Stone - The Stone Clinic

Dr. Kevin Stone is an Orthopedic Surgeon at The Stone Clinic and Chairman of the Stone Research Foundation in San Francisco. The clinic treat athletes and people with arthritis and focuses on knee, shoulder and ankle injuries. The Foundation conducts research on advanced surgical techniques and tissue regeneration for orthopedic sports medicine. Dr. Stone has lectured around the world as an expert in cartilage and meniscal growth, replacement and repair. Dr. Stone is a physician for Smuin Ballet. He has served as a physician for the U.S. Ski Team, the U.S. Pro Ski Tour, the Honda Ski Tour, the Jeep 48 Straight Tour, the Old Blues Rugby Club, Lawrence Pech Dance Company, Marin Ballet, the modern pentathlon at the U.S. Olympic Festival and for the United States Olympic Training Center.

SZ: What sports did you participate in growing up?

KS: I competed in soccer and rowed crew. I participated at the high school and college level.

SZ: Did you incur any serious injuries through your sport activities that influenced your decision to become an orthopedic surgeon?

KS: Yes, I was a college freshman and I tore my meniscus. I admired the surgeon who took it out and I admired the role he played in the process. This influenced me to become an orthopedic surgeon.

SZ: Did the injury prevent you from participating in soccer?

KS:Yeh, it stopped me from playing soccer and I switched to rowing full-time.

SZ: The Stone Clinic website has an Athletic Injury Recovery page that lists tips to encourage recovering athletes to remain connected to their sport mentally and physically in modified ways while they heal from injury. Share some of the emotional and physical benefits you notice when athletes take this advice.

KS: The most important thing is that when people are injured they often see themselves as patients in rehab. What we try to do is to stimulate them to think of themselves as athletes in training to use the injury as an excuse to become fitter, stronger, faster than they’ve been in years.

SZ: Do you find resistance at first? Or are people eager to jump in and have an opportunity to be active and moving again?

KS: The patients that are motivated become motivated to recover quickly. Patients who don’t hear that message don’t do as well.

SZ: You are currently the Smuin Ballet physician. Through the years you’ve served as a physician for several ballet companies as well as U.S. Pro and Olympic Ski Teams. Elite performers begin intensive training early in their lives. What advice/guidelines do you offer to parents and coaches regarding youth injury prevention?

KS: The most important thing is cross training. Playing multi sports especially as kids. Kids that get into trouble are those that play a single sport year round. Number two, there is superb professional training even for kids that are very young. By taking advantage of professional training including weight training and conditioning they are less likely to be injured. There are knee ACL injury prevention programs and a host of things that educate kids better than we were able to do before.

SZ: Do you have an favorites? Or any suggestions that parents could look for in terms of a good program?

KS: It depends on the child’s age and their sport interests. I think programs at Cross Fit
are becoming more directed towards youth sports as well as teaching kids proper technique for weight lifting and strength training. Getting kids involved in activities they wouldn’t normally do as kids such as yoga and pilates helps broaden their flexibility and body awareness. But the whole concept is really providing multi-sports rather than a single sport.

SZ: In 2008 the Stone Clinic hosted the StoneFit Pro Women’s Athlete’s Career Conference. What was your inspiration for presenting this well attended conference?
Do you anticipate reviving this event in the future?

KS: The inspiration developed because I work with so many top level multi-national athletes who have so few career opportunities and who didn’t really have any training in creating those career opportunities. So it seemed like a clear need and it was part of my passion for helping athletes choose their goals professionally and career wise. The event was expensive to host so we may do another one if we find the right partners to do it with.

SZ: During your career you’ve invented numerous products and hold 50 patents on novel inventions to improve health care. Which invention has been most successful and why?

KS: It depends on how you define success but the one’s that are focused on making animal tissues useful for people have been some of the most satisfying. They are being allowed in clinical trials in Europe right now and will most likely change the way we are able to do ACL surgery by providing pig ligaments rather than human ligaments for people that injure their knees.

SZ: Do you have any favorite quotes that have guided you on your professional path as an innovative orthopedic surgeon?

KS: People ask me how I get so much done and I answer, I find a lot of time in every second.

SZ: Anything you would add?

KS: Most of the injuries that we see are from mental errors. Mental error most of the time is from the athlete not having their head in the game. So the purpose of stretching or warming up before sport activities is mostly to clear the brain of other distractions and to focus on the athletic activity that’s about to start. Athletes who are very good about doing that are able to focus and get their head in the game. They tend to make fewer mental errors that lead to injuries. I think that’s maybe one of the most important parts.

SZ: Dr. Stone thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to have this conversation regarding sport injury and prevention tips.

*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @ www.examiner.com

Challenges of Parenting an Elite Athlete

Robert Chiang and his wife Fumie made the decision to move their family from Malibu, Ca. to Ojai, Ca. when their youngest daughter Yuki was eight years old. The decision was made to give Yuki an opportunity to train with her then coach, Takeshi Ozaki at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai. In the following years the Chiangs settled into Ojai. Robert bought a Giorgio’s Pizza Sports Bar and Yuki now 16 years old commutes two or three times a week two hours away to train at the USTA Training Center-West in Carson City. Yuki’s current coach is former tour player Lori McNeil.

In the next few years the Chiangs are coming to a fork in the road where their daughter will need to make the tough decision whether to continue to develop her skills by turning professional or accept one of the many offers she has received to play college tennis. The decision is not easy and the choices are not as obvious as one might think. Most successful singles players in women’s tennis skip college to hone their skills on the tour. The difference of playing, watching and learning from the pro’s by competing on the tour week to week versus playing college tennis is a completely different training experience.

Young players who turn professional often depend on support from their countries Tennis Federation which provide training, coaching and at times financial support while the player is developing. The USA has a vast amount of promising juniors that are working to achieve professional level tennis. But due to selective funding players need to have a high ranking before the USTA will commit full time coaching resources to a player.

SZ: You and your wife Fumie relocated from Malibu to Ojai so Yuki could train with Takeshi Ozaki at the Weil Tennis Academy. Is Yuki still training with Takeshi Ozaki?

RC: No, she’s now training at the USTA Training Center-West in Carson City. Takeshi was a Japanese coach that my wife and Yuki felt comfortable with.

SZ: Is this why you moved to Ojai?

RC: Yes, I took an early retirement from my job as an airline pilot and there was no sense of living in Malibu so we moved to Ojai.

SZ: Who coaches Yuki now?

RC: Yuki is currently training with former tour player Lori McNeil. We drive 2 or 3 times a week to Carson City. We used to drive there everyday but now we are going at least two times a week to make use of the USTA player development training being offered to Yuki. From time to time touring pro’s Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, Ryan Harrison, to name some player’s, come to train at Carson for a few days Yuki watches them. She has trained with Sam Querrey and he always teases her when they train together.

SZ: What are the decisions that you as a parent weigh to enable Yuki to continue developing her skills at a high level?

RC: That’s a dilemma right now. There are so many options. She was training with Ivan Lendl for about ten days at the Ivan Lendl Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Day to day Yuki is training at the USTA Training Center - West in Carson City. But I think for Yuki to reach the next level she needs to just work with a coach who can be solely dedicated to her. A dedicated coach can see her development through and through in full detail and help her work through to the next level.

SZ: How do you sort through the different coaches to find the right relationship?

RC: I didn’t know how much it was going to cost to do these kind of things. It’s expensive and these coaches need to be paid. We need to travel. We have interested coaches in Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Spain, Japan, they all love to work with Yuki. There are many different options but it’s difficult to choose which road to take. It’s confusing. She can’t train with just anyone and expect to do well. She’s a top player at the USTA Training Center-West. Yuki’s quite athletic and we’ve worked with so many coaches. Coaches have many differences of opinions. At this point we’ve decided to pull back a bit and do some of the training ourselves.

SZ: She’s certainly gained knowledge working with the variety of coaches.

RC: It’s been good. It’s just that right now Yuki needs guidance to reach the next level. She wants the opportunity to play in the pros. Yuki is 16 and is still involved with the U.S.T.A. The U.S.T.A. has been a great help especially giving Yuki access to Lori McNeil as her current coach there. Lori is a hard worker, as a player she fought her way through and up the rankings. But as a U.S.T.A. coach she works with many of the players. She is not able to dedicate herself soley to coaching Yuki.

SZ: Developmentally during the teens there are big life changes. What are some positive surprises you didn’t anticipate in the process?

RC: We try to give our children exposure to the things that they are interested in. We understand that when children are young they already have ideas of what they want. So we feel it’s up to the parent to support them. If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work. Yuki has such high motivation to participate in tennis. I can see she wants to be doing this. It takes 2 hours to commute to Carson and she is always ready to go. We don’t have to remind her to get her things ready. She’s ready. Yes, she is 16 and there are times someone is doing something that she wants to participate in from school and she says she is missing out. I remind her that there are sacrifices you have to make. Sometimes we talk about her travels and she’s been to so many places in the United States. I tell her few kids have had this type of experience. If nothing else happens she’s had this experience and she’s doing great. We keep plucking away and if it works it works.

SZ: Who arranges Yuki’s tournament schedule, practices, lessons, travel arrangements?

RC: I do. She has invitations to travel to Sweden and Latvia. There is a coach who used to train Li Na, the player from China. This coach is currently training his niece and they live in Sweden. He has invited Yuki to come and train with his niece and play the ITF tournaments. The coach has seen Yuki play and appreciates her style of play. I keep in contact with him. Yuki has shown some interest in going but I’m not sure this is the right choice.

SZ: You and your wife are not able to extensively travel with Yuki. Does the U.S.T.A. provide a traveling coach?

RC: This past summer Yuki’s current coach, Lori McNeil traveled with her and other players to Georgia, and South Carolina. Some parents of other players went but my wife and I had other obligations here in Ojai.

SZ: Who helps you out with some of the big decisions regarding Yuki’s future and the path to take?

RC: I want to give the U.S.T.A. credit for their help. We’ve been working with the U.S.T.A. for two years but we don’t depend on them. You learn as you go. I learn quickly. I look on the computer for information and you’ve got to read the rules and understand them. Because the rules change. For example, the rules of qualifying for tournaments sometimes change. Sometimes I don’t hear about it. Now I am trying to learn the requirements for I.T.F. and the U.S. to qualify for the WTA pro circuit. This year I am helping Yuki play some W.T.A. qualifying tournaments. Some players travel to Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica and other places to play some of the $10,000 entry level qualifying tournaments.

SZ: It sounds as though you include Yuki in the conversations regarding her athletic future. Has that become more prominent as she’s become older?

RC: Yes. Before it was like let’s just keep giving her training opportunities. Now we are coming to an unknown place of which direction to take. There is light at the end of the tunnel. But whether that light is going to college, playing on the tour, or life in general we don’t know.

SZ: Is there anything you would do over. I know it’s an ongoing process but is there anything you would do over?

RC: I wouldn’t do things over. I would do them better. Financially you have to be sound. If you are not you cannot continue this pursuit unless the player is extraordinarily talented or if you receive support from the outside. We are receiving support from the U.S.T.A., Lori McNeil is a great coach, and Wilson is her product sponsor.

SZ: Yuki is in the position of needing to win the opportunity to reach a place where the exposure is better to allow her to move forward with more resources.

RC: Right.

SZ: What general advice would you offer to parents making the decision to commit to their child’s elite athletic development?

RC: I think parents have to do whatever their kids are driven to do. If their child’s drive is to play tennis, don’t hold back. Take them to tournaments. You’ve got to have the finances, patience, tenacity and know there will be mundane things to do. At the same time you’ve go to help your child become independent.

SZ: Build self-reliance which connects to self-reliance on the tennis court.

RC: Right. Yuki knows she can play and win with or without me being at the tournament.

SZ: Do you have any favorite quotes, tips, or stories that have guided you and your family?

RC: I tell Yuki never give up. If Yuki wants to play professional tennis in the coming years that’s okay with us. If she wants to go to college and study it’s also okay. I have a contract with Yuki that says she will at some point go to college. We will always be here to help and support her.

SZ: Robert thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. I look forward to watching Yuki's promising career develop.

*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro

*This article can be read @www.examiner.com

Jackie Edwards - 5X Olympian Part 3

Jackie Edwards a five time Olympian represented the Bahamas in the long jump in the 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) Olympic Games. In 2003, Edwards was ranked 5th in the world in the long jump. Other athletic accolades include her induction into Stanford University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Twenty years after her graduation she still ranks as the school’s indoor and outdoor record holder. Edwards retired from professional competition in 2009 due to an achilles tendon tear. In her post competitive career she is enjoying being a partner in Urban Safari Design.

Edwards shares insights that enabled her career longevity which includes an inner motivation to push herself to improve as an athlete, good health, and a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology. This is part three of the three part interview.

SZ: Once you arrived in Sydney did you continue utilizing the visualization exercises?

JE: Absolutely. One of the things that used to affect my performances was nerves. I would feel like my legs couldn’t move. Through visualization I learned how to block out all the distractions. During a field event doing the long jump it takes a long time, especially in the qualifying rounds to get your jumps in. At the Olympics there can be fifty jumpers. There are two runways, twenty-five athletes assigned to each runway. In a normal long jump competition there are typically twelve jumpers qualifying. When there are twenty-five jumpers to a runway it can take up to an hour between jumps.

There is a lot going on in your brain in that hour. While you are waiting other Olympic field events are going on around you. A jumper only has three tries in the qualifying round to make the finals. It’s really easy to start watching other events going on around you. I remember watching the 100 meters, and I wanted to watch it, but then I knew I still needed to take jumps.

SZ: The challenge of staying focused when there is a break in momentum.

JE: The stadium in Sydney seated 110,000 people. The bottom row of seats was at track level, right in the line of sight. The runways were on the outside of the track circle not on the inside. We were very close, like 10 feet away from the spectators. The spectators were saying things, yelling and when I got up to take my jump I could see myself on the giant stadium video screen. My instinct was to look up and watch myself but I couldn’t do that and run at the same time.

SZ: In your peripheral vision you saw your body moving on the screen.

JE: Yes, so I needed to avoid looking up. I also remember the announcer saying, “Now on the runway competing,” and he said, “Jackie Edwards from Jamaica.” Which I was like, “Oh my gosh he said the wrong country,” and I was jumping at the same time. (Jackie was born in Jamaica but is a citizen of the Bahamas). So all this stuff is going on. Other distractions were I would be running down the runway and a starter gun goes off to begin a race. You can’t turn to look at what is happening around you.

SZ: Those are huge. Did you have a routine?

JE: Yes, absolutely. I had a very set routine. I would visualize the movements, I would practice the breaths, I would visualize what position I would start my run up in, exhale a few times, it was quite precise. I would duplicate this over and over again no matter what else was going on.

SZ:Was the climate a factor?

JE: Luckily it wasn’t that much of a factor. People were worried about it because the Olympics were late in September that year. The weather was kind of cool it wasn’t a factor. I’ve had to deal with that at some World Championships in Helsinki (Finland) where it was pouring rain. Track meets are not stopped unless there is lightening. But weather wasn’t an issue in Sydney. When I finished sixth that year having begun with an injured knee in April and thinking I was not going to qualify - to making the mark on my last jump in the last meet to qualify - then being in the Olympics and getting sick after the qualifying event - and ending by finishing in the top eight, which in the sport of track if you make the top eight you’ve done an outstanding job. I wouldn’t have guessed in all the years I competed to accomplish this was because there were definitely years when I was more physically fit.

SZ: Do you think having a routine put you in a more focused state or confident state?

JE: Yes, because during the time I was injured it forced me to use these skills. When I was healthy I just relied on my brawn and I thought, “I’m fit, I can jump out of the pit.” So I didn’t do the mental work that I should have done to accompany my fit body. That year I was forced to rely much more heavily on mental skills and it proved to me that I probably did myself a disservice over the years to not focus as much as I needed on the mental aspect. I would kind of go in and out of using these skills. But that year I didn’t have a choice.

SZ: That’s a strong statement in terms of what mental practice brought to your performance.

JE: I would tell any athlete coming up - I think any performance based skill, musician or surgeon etc., I think it’s critical to implement that part of the performance.

SZ: How much time did you practice visualization each day?

JE: I had to develop it. In the beginning I couldn’t keep my mind on it for five minutes. I also needed to learn how to visualize seeing through my own eyes because my instinct was to see myself outside like watching a movie. It was far more effective to experience the visualization through my own eyes like I was performing it. I struggled with learning how to visualize properly. I built up from five to fifteen minutes. I think the longest I achieved was thirty minutes.

SZ: Did it become an enjoyable exercise?

JE: Yes, I didn’t like it at first. I was like, “Do I really want to do this again?”

SZ: Did you learn to visualize through the classes you were taking?

JE: I didn’t go into the graduate program expecting this. I was taking classes at JFK and working on my Master’s in Sport Psychology because I had an interest. I wasn’t expecting some great impact on my own career.

SZ: You are a partner in Urban Safari Design, an interior design company. How did you become involved in this work?

JE: My business partner and I had always had a passion for interior design and we always kind of did it for family and friends. My business partner was a design major at Stanford, not interior design but product design. She later went on to design school and we began the company seven years ago.

SZ: In the next few years do you envision staying involved in track and field as a coach or spokesperson?

JE: It’s something I’ve thought about but I’m not sure. I still love track and field. I am not as immersed as when I was competing. I’ve been invited to participate in a track camp in the British Virgin Islands next month, for sure I will participate in this. Whenever I give a motivational speech it relates to my involvement in track and how it correlates to the real world. I am looking into being involved in Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program.

SZ: Would you go for being a trainer on The Biggest Loser?

JE: I like The Biggest Loser. I watch it every week.

SZ: Is it because of the coaching or the human interest side?

JE: Mostly the human interest. I couldn’t yell at those people like they do. I think it’s great the trainers can do that I can’t.

SZ: Do you have any favorite quotes that have guided you on your professional path as an athlete?

JE: My long time coach Brooks Johnson had a saying that was very simple. He would say, “What got you here will keep you here.” Basically it meant in order to maintain the level of results and intensity you accomplish you can’t relax and be like, “Now that I’m here I don’t need to do all this training anymore.” The fact is you have to do just as much if not more to maintain that level. Brook’s philosophy was whether on or off the track you can’t rest on your laurels, because the competition gets tougher. Your competitors are equally hungry and you have to stay one step ahead. I keep the quote in my head all the time. You have to do all the little things. My tips for longevity is to take care of yourself. It seems a simple thing to do but you have to go to sleep at night. Your body has to be rested, you’ve got to stretch, hydrate, avoid living a hard life of up early in the morning and out all hours of the night.

SZ: Respecting the process.

JE: Yes, and it’s really been a process. If you don’t appreciate the fact that this is a process from a to z and you skip lots of steps it’s never going to happen. You also need the support of the people around you. This sport builds character. You have to be able to ride through so many ups and down. There are no world record holders that didn’t have some horrible results or phase of something. You have to be able to rise above it. It’s easy to fade away and say, “I can’t take this anymore.” But to come back and say, “Yes I had a poor result this week but I am coming back next week to compete.” That sets you up for your life.

SZ: Jackie thank you for taking the time to share a part of your amazing athletic journey.

*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @ www.examiner.com

Jackie Edwards - 5X Olympian Part 2

Jackie Edwards a five time Olympian represented the Bahamas in the long jump in the 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) Olympic Games. In 2003, Edwards was ranked 5th in the world in the long jump. Other athletic accolades include her induction into Stanford University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Twenty years after her graduation she still ranks as the school’s indoor and outdoor record holder. Edwards retired from professional competition in 2009 due to an achilles tendon tear. In her post competitive career she is enjoying being a partner in Urban Safari Design.

Edwards shares insights that enabled her career longevity which includes an inner motivation to push herself to improve as an athlete, good health, and a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology. This is part two of a three part interview.

SZ: After turning pro in 1992 what new responsibilities entered your life? Were you surprised by any of the changes from amateur to professional?

JE: There were some surprises working with sponsors. Oakley sunglasses was a sponsor. My government (Bahamas) began paying me in 1998, so there was period of time when my government wasn’t paying me to represent them. I had a manager and I felt that I didn’t want to let him down. During my pro career I had sponsorship with Mizuno and the last nine years of my career Puma was a sponsor. Because I was receiving money or equipment I felt like I needed to earn the right to have all these things.

That act of turning pro wasn’t hard because in track it’s not like competing in the NBA or NFL where people are ooing and awing about the income an athlete is making, or the performances of the athlete. The most difficult part was time management. In college athletes have a structured schedule year to year. Coaches are telling the athlete what to do, when to do it. There are specific practice times. A professional track athlete is in control of their schedule. What meets to enter, arranging transportation to get there, paying for entry fees, all the details. In college you don’t need to think about these details you just show up.

SZ: In college you are told to meet at a certain spot at a certain time, transportation and the details are in place.

JE: Yeah. As a pro there were responsibilities and arrangements I never had to think about before.

SZ: Were there obligations to appear at special sponsor events and make yourself visible?


JE: To some degree yes. I didn’t realize that sponsors paid such close attention to the athletes. For example I like to wear the same spikes when I jump. I don’t care if I have new one’s when the one’s I am wearing are comfortable. At the time I was sponsored by Mizuno and I remember receiving a piece of mail from them telling me that I was to stop wearing the dirty spikes I had been competing in because it was the reason they gave me new ones. At the time I didn’t realize sponsors cared so much what I had on my foot.

SZ: How would they even notice it?

JE: That’s what I was thinking. Like who’s watching? When you jump your shoes get dirty. Unlike a sprinter whose shoes are going to look pretty clean for a long time. A long jumper shoes get dirty very quickly. Mizuno was clear that they didn’t like that I was walking around on these dirty spikes. When you are just concerned about performing you are not thinking about all that stuff.

SZ: You competed in the Olympics for the Bahamas in the long jump in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008. Each Olympic has its own energy. Was there one Olympic year that was more meaningful to you?

JE: Each Olympic is definitely different in it’s own way. One of the things that always stood out for me was the way the torch was lit. In 1992 (Barcelona) the archer stood in the infield and shot the arrow over the torch from the center of the field. I couldn’t believe he got it right because it was so far away. We had been hearing up to the moment of the torch lighting in practice he had kept missing. So I was thinking what if this dude misses? We were all standing there waiting and then he was successful. He got it right. In 1996 (Atlanta) Muhammad Ali lit the torch. He has Parkinson’s disease so his hand was really shaking. It almost looked like the flame was going to burn him because he couldn’t get the thing lit.

Aside from the torches being lit the 2000 (Sydney) Olympics was the most special for me. It was my best finish, 6th place. Leading up to the Olympics in April during my first outdoor meet which was held at Stanford University I was competing in the triple jump for training purposes. During one of my jumps my fibula head popped out of my left knee. It was like this loud cracking noise and I thought I had broken my shin. I’d seen that happen so I was afraid to look because the shin would protrude through the skin. When I did finally look down I was relieved to see my leg fully intact. I went to stand up and I realized the noise that I had heard was my knee popping out. It required a chiropractor to put it back into place. It’s not an injury that requires surgery. I didn’t get my knee put back into place for ten days. I was basically dragging my leg around because my chiropractor wasn’t trained to make this type of adjustment.

I had flown back to Texas and was at the track talking with my coach and this guy who created this chiropractic adjustment just happened to show up at the track. My coach spotted him and said this guy can fix my knee. He put my knee back in five minutes. It was very painful but he put it back in place. But through the injury I had done damage to the area around my knee. I decided to compete in a meet ten days later and had a really good jump probably 2-3 inches off the qualifying mark for the Olympics. But I still needed to qualify and I think I did more damage than good by competing in that meet because afterwards my knee just went. I competed poorly for the next 2-3 months and I hadn’t yet qualified for the Olympics. It came down to the last meet that I was going to try and jump in to qualify. I needed to jump 21’ 10” to qualify. On my last jump of the last meet to quality I did it. To this day I don’t know how it happened.

SZ: This jump qualified you for the 2000 (Sydney) Olympics.

JE: Yes, and so my preparation for that Olympic Game was not what it should have been because my leg was not whole. It was the Olympics where I went in with the least amount of physical preparation because from when I qualified the Olympics were only a month away. But my country put me on the team and I went. The thing that helped me was I had just completed my Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology. Through-out the period of time leading up to the Olympics I couldn’t train and my body was failing me. I prepared by visualizing. I pictured myself performing the jumps even though I couldn’t physically do them. I visualized myself mentally executing a certain technical performance and when I arrived in Sydney my coach specially told me, “Jackie you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You don’t have to jump some super outstanding jump to make the finals.” There is a set mark and if a jumper reaches that mark no matter how many jumpers reach it, you qualify for the final. We knew what the mark was and my coach said, “You can jump that. All you have to do is do what you have been doing.” I knew I was really technically sound just from my mental training not off of anything physical. Sure enough I went in and did what I knew I could do on the very first jump. On that jump I qualified for the finals.

Unfortunately between the qualifying round and the finals there is a day in between and I got sick with the worst cold I’ve ever had. The day of the finals my coach said, “You’re pretty much going to have to get whatever jump you are going to get right away because you will have no more energy.” There were twelve jumpers in the final. Jumpers take three jumps and then the top eight out of those twelve get another three jumps. I just hung onto what my coach told me and I put everything into my first jump and that was enough to get me into the top eight.

Next week Jackie talks about visualization, new technologies that helped extend her career, and her plans for the future.

*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
*This article may also be read @ www.examiner.com

Jackie Edwards - 5X Olympian

Jackie Edwards a five time Olympian represented the Bahamas in the long jump in the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympic Games. In 2003, Edwards was ranked 5th in the world in the long jump. Other athletic accolades include her induction into Stanford University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Twenty years after her graduation she still ranks as the school’s indoor and outdoor record holder. Edwards retired from professional competition in 2009 due to an achilles tendon tear. In her post competitive career she is enjoying being a partner in Urban Safari Design.

In this three part interview Edwards shares insights that enabled her career longevity which includes an inner motivation to push herself to improve as an athlete, good health, and a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology.

SZ: You’ve enjoyed a stunning 20 year career competing, which includes five Olympics, first qualifying in 1992. How did you manage your schedule in between Olympics to remain motivated and maintain the mental/physical endurance to compete at this level?

JE: One thing most people aren’t aware of is that track and field is a professional sport. You compete year in and year out. The fact that the Olympics come around every four years is an addendum to being a professional athlete every year. I was on the circuit in Europe competing indoors from January to March, then outdoors from May to September every year. My motivation was that I was competing on the professional circuit with the same athletes that I would be competing against in the Olympics, or in the World Championships. The events I competed in each year were how I made my living. In the sport of track and field the athlete is paid either through a shoe company, bonus money based on how the athlete finishes at each competition and appearance fees. I earn a living I traveled to meets all over the world. I’ve competed in 56 countries.
World Championships are held every two years, every odd year there is a World Championship. I qualified nine consecutive times from 1991 through 2007. World Championships for track and field competitors are as important as the Olympics. There is prize money at the World Championships which there is not at the Olympics. There is significant motivation to do well and your shoe contracts and other sponsorships are based on how well an athlete performs at the both the Olympics and the World Championships.

The motivation to keep going isn’t like having to wait four years for the next Olympics. It’s an ongoing process. I trained 10 1/2 months out of every year for all those years and I would have six weeks off per year to rest and regroup.

SZ: When you compete in the Olympics for the Bahamas do they pay you to be on the team?

JE: No country pays their athletes specifically to be on the team. There is no prize money from the Olympics. The way an athlete receives any sort of money out of the Olympics is if they make the finals. Usually the shoe contract will have a stipulation that the athlete will receive “x” amount of money if they make the finals or receive a medal. I competed for the Bahamas and my government paid me to represent them and included incentives that included a year round monthly stipend. Additionally the athletes had bonuses stipulated for winning gold, silver, bronze or reaching the finals.

SZ: Twenty years of competing professionally is a long time.

JE: I really enjoyed it. I always felt like I had not yet quite jumped as far as I was capable of jumping. I was healthy for the majority of my career. Injury prevents a lot of people from reaching their peak. I was luckily blessed to be relatively healthy because you’re never 100%. I didn’t have major setbacks that prevented me from making progress in my sport year to year. Other than a couple of years in there, I just always felt I could do better. It was like proving something to myself certainly much more so than proving something to anyone else. There are always people who would say, “Why are you still competing? Shouldn’t you get another life?” If I listened to those people maybe I would have stopped ten years into my career.

SZ: At your level of expertise and accomplishment it seems like after 10 years any athlete in whatever sport starts to receive those questions. How did you address the retirement questions particularly after a subpar result? Frequently the media jumps on it.

JE: Right, and being from a small country it’s magnified. In the U.S.A. if a track and field athlete has a poor track result you, your coach and a few people in your immediate circle pay attention. But being from a small country where track and field is the sport, people care and make commentaries about your performance. What kept me going is when there are really good results in training you know what your body is physically capable of. Week in and week out I was achieving things in practice that sometimes audiences didn’t get to see in the meet. My challenge was to duplicate that training performance in a competition. I knew what I was physically capable of, my coaches had a belief in my athletic ability. There are certain components to a long jump, that is speed and power. At one point in my career I could squat 350 lbs, that shifted to 375 lbs. In practice I was running 60 meters in 7.35 seconds, and then I was able to run it in 7.28 seconds that means something in regard to how far I can jump.

SZ: You kept your sights on your goals and your capabilities, screening out the distractions.

JE: Absolutely. I knew what I was capable of and I knew that there were jumps where I fouled and they were never measured. Even though it wasn’t measured I knew that my body actually went that far so I knew my capabilities.

SZ: So it remained exciting.

JE: Absolutely. Everyday, well let’s not say everyday. Most days when I woke up in the morning I was ready to go and train. Fall training was a challenge. No-one is going to tell you Fall training is fun. It hurts. You’re tired, you’re exhausted. I knew that three or four times a week my body was going to be at its limit. In six weeks it’s amazing how much the body can return to a civilian body. In six weeks I was almost back to ground zero and then it took another 2-3 months to get back to where I was before I stopped training and competing. But I still needed to take that six week break.

SZ: For body and mind?

JE: Yes.

SZ: Were there phases of your competitive life where things were going on and you didn’t mentally or physically feel like competing? How did you pull yourself up through those segments of time?

JE: Personal situations, dealing with some sort of relationship sometimes made training harder. The last thing I wanted to do if I felt sad or upset about something was to run around a track.

SZ: (both laughing) Didn’t running around help you feel better?

JE: It might help in that hour or so, but leaving the house to get there, sometimes I didn’t want to do that. If I was having a series of poor results that made me question myself. I’ve had times when I over trained. I always wanted to do so much in practice sometimes to my detriment. When I was doing intensive training and the results weren’t showing it I knew people must be thinking, “What’s going on with her. Why doesn’t she retire.” There was a year I over trained and I was jumping at a high school level. It was embarrassing for me. This was leading up to my national championship in the Bahamas. I felt I couldn’t go home jumping this poorly. I made the decision not to train for seven days. I didn’t go to the track. I didn’t jog. I just laid around. I had been doing so much in practice and it wasn’t helping.

SZ: Did you shift mentally as well?

JE: Yes, I did everything that had nothing to do with track. I read books, went to the movies, went shopping, stayed up late, overslept. At the end of the seven days I flew home to the Bahamas. I jogged at the track one day and the following day was the national championship meet. I don’t know what happened but the prior to this meet the last jump I had jumped was 19’10” which is what a talented high school athlete can jump, to during the national meet, I jumped 22’3”, which is significantly different. I just think my body had become so exhausted. I hadn’t been listening to my bodies fatigue. I had kept training and jumping worse. My body reacted positively to the shift.

If I had not stopped to rest I don’t know what I would have done that season with my career because I was at wits end. Sometimes you have to step back and listen to your body. I always want to do more but sometimes you need to do less and it’s hard to pull back.

SZ: After that meet did you scale back and adjust your workout program?

JE: For an athlete like myself I can be hard headed. But it was so tangible to see I needed to scale back. Sometimes when I was struggling during competitions or not having good results I questioned what I was doing professionally. I attended Stanford with classmates who were using their brains and making 5x’s the money I was making competing in track and field.

SZ: What helped you make the decision to stick it out? Was it having free time, travel, the unique challenges?

JE: All of that. I enjoyed the lifestyle. I enjoyed to some degree having control over my own schedule and time. Even though I had a coach and when we scheduled a practice at 11a.m. I had to be there. But if I decided I wanted to go visit my friend for a week I could do that as long as there was a track nearby, or a weight room. It’s not like having a job where you can’t just go and do what you wish. I also enjoy being outside, interacting with people, traveling and the physical/mental challenge. Aside from the money disparities, the experiences that I gained were not comparable to any sort of money I could earn.

Next week 5X Olympian Jackie Edwards discusses, responsibilities as a professional athlete, unique Olympic moments and new technologies that enhanced her career.

*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @www.examiner.com