Junior Development! This became the bedrock of my passion for coaching tennis a decade ago. Developing the physical literacy and tennis skills of a student from a young age all the way to the point where they became teenage tournament-level players, growing their love for the game in the process, was very rewarding.
Perhaps it comes from my creative background as a painter and concept artist, where there’s this addicting excitement sitting with the blank canvas in front of you, the possibilities limitless. Or, similarly, my background in electronic music production and fiction writing (see above). It always starts with nothing, but with unrelenting dedication and hard work, can end in something really special that is personal for you.
This interest of mine in the “blank canvas” can certainly be seen in Slate! The whole business idea of an upscale pickleball club with an emphasis on incredible programming, service, and community all started with a lengthy business plan, a plan that started as an empty sheet of paper.
Thus, my passion for player development is seen in Slate’s Junior STAGE Program. From all my research, there is frankly no proper junior pickleball program on the planet. I aim to change that using all the knowledge I’ve gained in the racquet industry.
With junior STAGE, we will be able to take a young child and develop them to professional level, inspired by the Long Term Athlete Development model. Does this mean we have the mentality that every child that walks in the door, every blank canvas, so to say, must be developed into a pro? Absolutely not. Only a small fraction of participants will ever make it to that level, like any popular American sport. But we will have the infrastructure and age+stage appropriate programming to allow passionate junior players to flourish into pros when conditions are right.
I could write a whole book on junior racquet sport development, and this is a mere blog post, so I’ll cease my ramble for now, but if you’re interested in what we’re doing with Junior STAGE at Slate, check out our Junior Programs page.
I and the whole Slate team are SO pumped to show the world what Junior STAGE can do. If you’re REALLY interested, read the Long Term Athlete Development textbook. It may blow your mind!
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