From Coach to Director: Preparing for Leadership in Racquet Sports
Welcome to Racquet Fuel, where we launch into great conversations and share powerful tools to help you become a stronger Racquet's leader. Your hosts are Kim Basketball, a former All American tennis player and now the director of professional Racquet's Management at the University of Florida. And Simon Gale, the USTA senior director of Racquet Sports Development. Here are Kim and Simon.
Kim Bastable:Welcome to Racquet Fuel. What does it take for someone to move successfully into the role of a director? Head knowledge is one thing. Hard skills are another. Soft skills has confidence, emotional intelligence, speaking skills, budgeting, people, institutional and industry knowledge.
Kim Bastable:There's so many elements to the position and requirements for someone to be successful. Today, we're going to hear firsthand from someone who's progressed from college as recently as 2018 to today. Through the industry taking intentional steps to learn and to earn the ability to be considered for a director's position. His path has taken him to multiple cities and multiple clubs. Has it been easy or hard?
Kim Bastable:We'll find out. Simon, this is someone that you have directly invested in since he's part of the first Racquet Sports Management apprentice class. But I'm curious why you invested in Diego. Why did you give him a chance? How did you even know that he had leadership in his future, which we know from now he clearly does?
Simon Gale:Kim, I'm excited about this episode because we just recently presented on this in New York at the USDA Coaches Open and tried to talk about that transition from great coach with a little leadership experience to becoming a real leader in the industry, potentially a director of Racquet Sports. And our process is extensive. So when we brought Diego down during the interview process, you could see immediately there was an on court presence. I kinda call that that it factor when he was on court and a real connection with the customers, and that was the feedback we got from our customers. But I think more important that there's a presence and a calmness about Diego that makes him feel very genuine, and I think that's a real skill of being an effective leader is people realizing that you're true to your word and you're a genuine person and that the leadership skills that accompany that are great, but I think that authenticity is something that makes him unique.
Simon Gale:And there's a real commitment to himself and to improvement. So I wanna introduce and welcome Diego, but I'm gonna have him tell a story about his start to the program and welcoming his new son, Liam, to the family. And this was a true example of his commitment to himself. So Diego, welcome, and please tell us that story if you can.
Diego Leal Reyes:Well, of all, thank you both so much for having me here and for inviting me into the program. Very excited. Well, during the early days of the of the program, me and my fiance, we were about to have a baby. And right before starting the program, I had to move all the stuff down. So I drove from New Hampshire twenty four hours, leaving my pregnant fiance back at home.
Diego Leal Reyes:And a couple days into the program, two days later that I started, I get the call that she was about to give birth. So I, you know, told spoke with Simon, with Jason, flew back to New Hampshire. Thankfully, we had Liam, a baby boy. And two days later, we decided to drive down immediately to Florida. And then the next day that we got here, I went right back again to class, of course, with the great support of my fiance, and it just all ended up working out.
Kim Bastable:That's an amazing story of dedication from you both to the future of your career, which obviously was why you had made the decision to move to Florida. So tell us if you would, Diego. Thank you for being here, and and and tell us a little bit about what what your experiences were between 2018 when you exited college to getting to this position of deciding to go to the national campus?
Diego Leal Reyes:Yes. So when I upon graduation, I always told myself that, you know, I played college tennis originally from Columbia, college in The States. And upon graduation, I decided that I was never gonna do tennis. That that was it for me. I had an internship lined up in New York for finance, which is my major, JPMorgan in New York.
Diego Leal Reyes:And some things happened at the family side that led me there. So I had some of the time to just reflect on myself and think what I wanna do. And a friend of mine at the time invited me to come to Connecticut to a tennis club in where I decided to just give it a shot. And he said, you know, try it a week. If you like it, you're more than welcome to stay.
Diego Leal Reyes:So upon the first lesson that I gave, I truly was, like, feeling really excited at the end and wanted to just keep doing more and more, which eventually led me, like, this is what I actually need to do. I truly found a passion in teaching people new skills, but more importantly, just giving them something to go home and brag about. I was I ended up staying in Connecticut for about two years, and that led me up to an opportunity in New Hampshire to be the adults coordinator over there in a new project, Stadin. And I think that being in New Hampshire just helped me to realize that there were so much more opportunities in tennis than I realized before, more in the leadership side, in the entrepreneurship side as well. And I stayed for a couple years there until one day, my fiance at the time told me about the opportunity of this apprentice program in Orlando.
Diego Leal Reyes:At the beginning, we didn't know exactly what it was. We just said, you know, there is no way we're ever gonna get something like this into being in such a program in Orlando with all these important people in the industry. And we just gave it a shot. I applied, and all of a sudden I started going in the rounds of prescreening, interviewing. And then when I thought about it, like, I'm already here for my final interview before getting to Orlando and getting finally called from Jason that I got accepted into the program.
Kim Bastable:That's that's amazing. I think that's interesting. You had started in the finance world and sort of decided that you really did love tennis after all, but maybe you loved the delivery of the game to people, the experience, which is really vastly different than actually playing the game. We realize playing is a skill set that's helpful to delivery, but delivery is totally different. So how can you reflect upon some of those early experiences you had?
Kim Bastable:Is there an insight or experience that taught you lessons that you now just appreciate that you maybe didn't realize were as important at the time?
Diego Leal Reyes:Yes. Reflecting on this, I think that in my early days in Connecticut, when I accepted the position as a as a tennis pro, we wore many hats within the role. I think that now I truly appreciate what I did back then. Back then I was just very tired of maybe charging bills, charging the lessons, setting up the lessons, cleaning the courts, cleaning the bathrooms. And there's so many roles that in New England where you gotta clean the snow up in the parking lot or in the entrance.
Diego Leal Reyes:And I think that now when I go here in the national campus or even other places, I think at that time I saw it as a terrible thing, and I just didn't wanna do it. And then now I see it as it had taught me so many lessons and so many things that I can put in my resume and say, you know, I've done this. I've been part of that. I've had experience with dealing with these kind of situations, which definitely I now I can truly appreciate. Diego, when
Simon Gale:you entered the apprentice program two years ago, what did you think or what was your perception of what a successful Racquet Sports director or maybe it was a tennis director is who you had worked for at the time? What did you think success looked like in that role, and and maybe how has that evolved over the last couple of years?
Diego Leal Reyes:At the beginning, I thought that being a good Racquet Sports Director was just about getting a little bit early later in the morning, seeing that all the courts were full, sitting down in the desk, and or seeing that everybody was happy. Of course, that has changed now that I'm, you know, seeing more in the insights of it and being into the apprentice program for two years. I think that now I get to see how much a director only has to wear so many hats at the same time. And also, how much they have to deal with just not only the on court piece, the off court piece. And then even when there are some stakeholders that are the owners of the club or a board of members that you have to answer to a committee, I think that there's all these things playing in place that the director has to deal with.
Kim Bastable:That's interesting. Maybe those challenging situations and all those personalities, yeah, they're they're invisible to you when you're maybe just the on court coach, and then they're real when you're the director. So let's speak a little bit about mentors. Clearly, the the one sitting next to you is is definitely a mentor to you, But I'm sure every leader there ever has been could name multiple people who have been influenced them, helped them. I'd love to hear what you can share specifically that that Simon has taught you that you think will stay with you throughout your career?
Kim Bastable:And maybe offer, you know, are there one or two other mentors and how have they impacted you in your growth?
Diego Leal Reyes:Absolutely. I think the maybe these last couple weeks that I've been able to spend more closely with Simon since we were in New York as well. I think that I've been seeing his ability also over these two years to individualize his leadership based on the person that he, let's say, is talking to or trying to mentor or lead to. I think that he first tries to identify the person's personality and the best way to approach them, and then individualize whatever he has to say or lead or show based on how they were able to receive it even better and, you know, have that by end. I truly has appreciated that because it has shown me a real life example here at the campus.
Diego Leal Reyes:And I appreciate also the fact that he has shared so many insights from early days when he got here to the campus and even back in Yonkers. It's just such a eye opening on how he has been able to do, and I honestly appreciate that now going into a director role for sure. Two other mentors at the beginning was first my college coach, because he was the first one who always taught me that there was a career in tennis. And he was always one that showed me that there are so many opportunities that you can do, and that you don't have to get away from the game, that you can always have a work life balance. I think that that's so important, he always taught me just from the beginning.
Diego Leal Reyes:And I think secondly, somebody that has grown as a mentor recently has been also Jason Allen, the director of our program, just because he has been able to show us what we're always gonna encounter for. And honestly, somebody that is always going to be able to tell you as straight as it is and direct, and also somebody that has been always available for us for any single question, and I know I have no doubt that even after we graduate from the program, it's gonna keep being that way. Kim, it's interesting how, like, we
Simon Gale:all have these people in our lives that have impacted how we've evolved as leaders, And it always comes back to someone very early, and we hear this a bit here in The States, right, with the college coach, but somebody who encouraged somebody and pointed them in that direction. And we've talked about that a lot with how we all got started. Somebody said, oh, you you might be good with the kids on the court. Do you wanna come and teach some hours? And it's led to to this career path.
Simon Gale:So it always seems to come back to that, which is unique to our industry because you don't go to college to become a tennis coach. Somebody's pointed you in that direction, so and he's not the first who said that, and he won't be the last, I'm sure. So thanks for sharing those stories, for sure. So over the couple of years, we've done a lot within the curriculum. It's quite an intense program combined with your teaching hours and so on.
Simon Gale:It's it's a lot of work, but you've demonstrated being a great learner, which is something that's attracted us to you from the start. But I'm curious, was there anything that you learned that surprised you, either about the role or even maybe reflecting on your own growth, something about yourself? Yes. I think
Diego Leal Reyes:a little bit on both. I think at the beginning, just looking at the curriculum of the program, and you could see an overscope. But once you are here, you can truly see how much access you get to all of the industry. And I think that was something that surprised me because I didn't think I knew we were gonna get some access, but just being able to meet so many people, have connections just as you, Kim, also like AJ Pence, Doc Cash. And then just being able to every single day, somebody during the week, just meet somebody new that has been truly a leader in the industry and learning from them.
Diego Leal Reyes:I think something just about myself that I truly just learned or that I just surprised myself with was that during these two years, encountered many personal situations with my family that we had to deal with. And I think that both the support from the campus, but also on my family for me to be able to stay focused on the program, come to work every single day, and then just patrol the classes and all the commitments that we had. I think that's something that surprised me about myself that had some fuel in there.
Kim Bastable:Well, the story we started with was a exhibit a for that with support from your family to allow you to be there. And that's really it does. It takes everyone working together to make something successful, so it's great to have a good team around us. So I believe few of us feel ready for many of the roles we apply for. As you said, you weren't sure you'd get in the Racquet Sports Apprentice.
Kim Bastable:We figure it out through lots of doing or asking questions. So what part of the director role or what skill is most challenging to you either previously or even now as as you look forward and you're going to leave the national campus and take on another role?
Diego Leal Reyes:I think something that has always kept me thinking about this specifically with just a skill or something challenging, I think is the amount of hats that a director has to wear. And I think before, I personally knew a little bit about it, but I never really give it a thought. But if you really look into it, the director just not only has to be the one that is greeting people, just asking how they're already doing, but also they have to make sure that how their pros are doing. Because there may be something that is going on in their personal life which is affecting their own core delivery. At the same time, it has to be somebody that is dealing with the overall look at the facility, the maintenance part of it.
Diego Leal Reyes:How is able to function everything in different scenarios, in different departments with just only one role. And, you know, there are some other facilities that have a lot of people they can rely on, but in most of The United States, it's only, you know, that director doing a lot of work on the sales. So I think that the ability for you to individualize based on what you need is also super important and some of a skill that I think is very challenging.
Kim Bastable:Do you feel ready for that? Do you feel equipped? Do you feel like you own a bunch of those hats?
Diego Leal Reyes:I definitely feel like I I do now, thanks to the program. But I'm sure that there are some that are still gonna find that on hands experience, or as I like to call it, the school of hard knocks that many people went through that they didn't have their, like, apprentice program to go through.
Kim Bastable:Well, and I always believe, you know, we can't teach you everything. Even in my Florida program, we can't teach you everything, but we can teach you who you might need to call on the phone to get the answer or what connection you need, what direction to go.
Diego Leal Reyes:So So true.
Kim Bastable:Yeah. Yes. You're you're gonna need others.
Simon Gale:Yeah. And I would add to that because Kim and I have spoken about this in some other episodes, just the not ever quite being ready for whatever that next role is, and I know with every role that I've graduated to, there's been new challenges that I've never had before. And I don't think you're ever ready because you can say I've done every aspect of the job, but I think you're ready if you've done the hard work over the years and you're prepared yourself to make good decisions. So if I have a have an issue with something, as Kim said, I know who to call. I know how to act appropriately to make sure I get that handled and how to answer that difficult question.
Simon Gale:And it's okay to say, I don't have the answer right in front of me, but I'll get back to you. And you will learn that and then add it to your skill set, but I don't think the expectation is we have all the answers for every role we go into. I mean, Kim, we've heard this over and over from many people. Nobody felt like they were ready for that next role. Maybe mentally ready, but they didn't have all the skills that were required, and you learned them on the job.
Kim Bastable:Absolutely. And I think that's the part where we feel that we want people to be willing to step out into that unknown, but with the support of knowing there's an army of people that can receive that phone call when you're not sure.
Simon Gale:Which I think leads into our next the next question, which is kinda call it that failing forward. The idea that, you know, if you if you wanna move up and you wanna evolve in the industry, if that's your goal, you need to be willing to try new things and and fail a few times because we all know that the the greatest learning comes from when we fail. Trust me. I understood that as a player. I think I lost more matches than I won, so I was doing a lot of learning.
Simon Gale:But, you know, you're not always gonna get it right, and it's okay to not get it right. I think you make a lot of mistakes that you think might be big ones, But if most of those happen behind the scenes and it doesn't show and reflect in your on on on your delivery with your members or your customers, then that's okay. I think you you're learning behind the scenes and adding to your skill set. But if you really want that growth, I think those things have to happen, and they will happen, no doubt. Can you share a time where you feel like you failed or things didn't go as planned and what you've learned from that?
Diego Leal Reyes:Yeah. Where to pick? I think that, no, I had one that it truly has reflected with me on in these past couple of weeks. I was studying. I think it was this was a summer job while I was in school.
Diego Leal Reyes:And I got a teaching job at a club in Portland, Maine. And while I was in Maine, the director went away for I think two weeks on vacations, and he left me on charge, we could say. And I had to kinda manage a little bit of, or just keep an eye on how all the other pros were doing, how the operation side were going. And at the end of the day, just gave a quick summary to him, just call him on the phone and see tell him just a bit of that day. One of those nights, I told him that I noticed that pro, his name is John, which, you know, shout out to him, he just was not doing a lot of these things right.
Diego Leal Reyes:He was not really putting away some of the balls. He was coming in too late into lessons. And we're getting some comments from some of the members that we had at that that time. On that day when I called him that night, when I called the director, he said, well, I want you to talk to him, and I want you to sit head sit him out in the office. And you're gonna have a chat with him just, you know, one on one and tell him how everything is going.
Diego Leal Reyes:And I want you to give him some of the feedback of the members and see what he says. So I go in all confident the next day into the office. I call John Oliver. We sit down, and me thinking that I was gonna do a really good job, I kinda got a little bit more emotional as I usually have, so I didn't have a lot of emotional intelligence in there. And I think that I got a little bit more aggressive in the conversation that I shouldn't have got.
Diego Leal Reyes:And he said, You know, Diego, I'm not gonna work anymore until the director comes back again. So you got there. And then as soon as he left the office, I just realized, oh, I just made a big, big mistake. I am deep in the waters just for not knowing how I can handle that situation. So I think, you know, later on reflecting on that, calling the director again, telling him what happened, and dealing with, you know, now a pro down because I kind of thought that I knew how I was gonna handle it versus what had happened at the end.
Diego Leal Reyes:Told me a big hard lesson. After years later, connected back with John, just all good on the situation. I apologize, of course. But I think that these are some of the things that you kinda go through and the mistakes that you make. And then now as a director or now as a going into a leadership role, you know that there are some things that you have to kinda think before and see how it's gonna planned out and try to deal with it at the moment as well.
Kim Bastable:Well, difficult conversations I think challenge most of us, and they probably continue to challenge most of us. But I'm curious, in the moment, did he come back to work?
Diego Leal Reyes:He did not. He waited until the director came back a week and a half later. And and I get it.
Kim Bastable:Before you were scrambling.
Diego Leal Reyes:Yes. And not only that, he was also the pro with the most tenure at the at the club. So he had a full book of lessons. He was super busy all the way. So for that week and a half, you know, the director was kind of guiding me on what to do, which also was something from him to you know, you did a bad thing, but he was kinda like, okay.
Diego Leal Reyes:We'll learn from this. Let's handle this. And I kinda, you know, learned from that to kinda, like, how to pivot and what to do in that situation, how to actually rewrite those customers, and then, yeah, went from there.
Kim Bastable:Boy, that's a great example. Good story. Okay. I hate to change off that subject because we could do a podcast on that and how you've responded. Here we go.
Kim Bastable:I'm a proponent of well-being, and I believe that as people move into leadership, they often frankly, this happens at all levels, but particularly at the leadership level where there's much responsibility, much more to do. Leaders get so busy trying to learn new things and do, quote, good work, whatever that is, and in their workplace, and they maybe don't begin to take care of themselves. They don't work out. They neglect health. They skip meals.
Kim Bastable:Just generally work too much. Maybe put all the importance of work in front of family. And it's it's tough. I mean, we generally as tennis pros work in the evening hours, which is the time the rest of the world recreates, and it can be a challenge. So personal well-being, is that a challenge for you?
Kim Bastable:And how are you going to focus to as you move up in leadership to maintain your sanity, your health, your family relationship?
Diego Leal Reyes:Yes. I think that I personally I like to prioritize my well-being, but it's something that I've noticed over these couple of years now going into a leadership role after the program, something that's been kinda on my mind is that I care a lot about the place that I work. I truly I put it into my mind. And something that I've been trying to deal with is that I usually don't prioritize my sleep as much as I would like to because I usually when I have my day off, I would like to I will spend it as much as I can with my family, with my son as well. And then once all my family goes to sleep, I stay up working on some of the things either on the program and then now into the role of the facility.
Diego Leal Reyes:So I think that that's something that I definitely find challenging on how to turn off my brain and kind of give myself a a break. But I think that's a balance that I will try to also gather from some other people and see how they manage their work schedule so you can definitely get those hours of sleep. That I truly agree, though, that's something extremely important to me, the well-being of not only a director, but a a Racquet Sports pro.
Simon Gale:What kinda bleeds into to the next conversation here or question is working under pressure. And as you get into bigger roles and as you move into this next role that you're taking and with the the future as a Racquet Sports director, As you move up the ladder, so to speak, the demands increase and the expectations are higher. And if you get paid more, the expectations go up too. So managing stress as it increases is something that cannot be taught how to manage stress. I'm not sure.
Simon Gale:I think it's something that you develop within yourself and you have to learn how you cope with it. It's inevitable. You're gonna have some. If you think about your emotional control, how do you think you've evolved so far in your career around that? And you've given a couple of good examples today of stressful moments.
Simon Gale:But as you think and and look into the future with this new role, with the stress that will come with that, how do you feel like you've got your emotions in check, which is different than your well-being, but it's all part of it? How do you feel like you're set to manage those stressful moments?
Diego Leal Reyes:I think that something that I like to do, especially when there is maybe a stressful moment or that I feel that I'm gonna be into a role that is going to bring some of that with me. I think that I like to always have a set of people that have been into those roles and just call them. And to me, it works because I kinda just talk to them as friends and, you know, we ask ourselves how is work doing, how how is it going. And I think they could also give me kinda like some feedback on what they think. And just talking about it with somebody that has been in those shoes helps me personally.
Diego Leal Reyes:So even if calling, you know, other directors or just somebody like Simon, Jason, Kim, I think that that's honestly going to to be a part of me that I always kind of keep caring because it helps me out. I think at the same time, I would also like to, during the day, just take a time even if it's twenty minutes, thirty minutes in where I'm just by myself kinda reflecting on how the morning went or the afternoon went just because it helps me out to see if I maybe did something, a decision, took a decision because it was just more emotional rather than actually logical. And I think that that's something that it keeps me in check and keeps me at a good stress level. Let's say that.
Simon Gale:Well, comes back to a couple of things I pick up on. One is, have you built a network of people that you can lean on? Because I think sometimes the the leadership or director's role can be lonely. You know, sometimes you don't wanna share some of these things with your staff. As much as I believe in sharing things with your staff and getting their input, there's some things that that are a little more personal or private, and stress might be one of those.
Simon Gale:You don't wanna show that you're you're having trouble with something. So the ability, as you say, to pick up the phone and talk to someone who can can talk you off the ledge and get you back on track with where you need to be thinking is important. But I think the other thing that I would reinforce too is the importance of who you're surrounded by at work. Like, sometimes I think we're all we love the appeal of of a title of a job and maybe the compensation that comes with it, but is that compensation absorbing so much of the budget that I can't afford to have great people around me? If I don't have great people around me, my stress level's gonna be even higher.
Simon Gale:So who are the resources that are supporting you to help you be more impactful in your role? If you don't have those, I think you're gonna be in for more stressful moments. And I think the job you're going into has a support system that will help you, but the job will be stressful, and you your ability to pick up that phone will be important. So I'd love that answer, Kim. I don't know what you think.
Kim Bastable:No. I love that answer, but I actually love your addition, the idea that you might take a slight cut in pay in order to put some people really strong around you if the budget didn't initially allow for that. I mean, that's great. Good team at work. Good team outside of work.
Kim Bastable:I think that's excellent advice. I mean, we don't do things alone as much as people might think. Most things are a team sport. So I'm curious. We're gonna wind down here, but I'm curious.
Kim Bastable:You know, if you look two years into the future, Diego, Simon hears about the kind of director you've become. What do you hope he hears about you?
Diego Leal Reyes:Oof. I think that the number one thing that I that I hope he hears is just what a pleasure is to work for Diego. What a pleasure is to go to his club and just get developed there. Somebody that he cares just for the pros to grow them professionally and also just on the outside with whatever their goals are. And I hope that, you know, the pros that hopefully in the future come to the club and I get to mentor or to lead for, they always come back just with a smile and just say, what a great pleasure was working for him.
Diego Leal Reyes:I think that as I that's what I really hope that he hears, and hopefully that I apply a thing of two that he has taught me at the same time as Jason, for sure.
Kim Bastable:Well, I think that's a great goal to have. I'm sure that this first class of RSMAs has has been an in insightful and growing one for you, Simon. But, I mean, that that reflection is a good answer. Diego is certainly a example of a solid solid future director that's come out of what you have created. Kudos to you for even the initiation of this apprentice program.
Kim Bastable:But what's your reflection just overall? You might have learned a few things for yourself.
Simon Gale:I think, like we've talked about throughout this episode, it's the first time. You know, you're a first time director. All these experiences that are new, you learn from. We've learned a ton from this program about ourselves as, I guess, trying to be role models, leaders, imparting knowledge, and bringing the industry together to put them in front of these guys so that they leave as well prepared as possible. They've gotta go and now apply these skills that they've learned.
Simon Gale:You know, we we try and make it as practical as possible, but now you're actually gonna go and lead a club or be responsible for some aspect of a club's operation. So I I think we're getting better and better with who we hire for the program and what's important, and we're learning a lot about what they need. We're asking a lot of questions. What could we do to make it better? So I think that's making us better as leaders too, but I really like Diego's level of maturity for a young man.
Simon Gale:I think his ability to handle stress and situations with members and so on will be something that helps make him successful. He doesn't get too flustered, and you can see that in his answers today. There's some emotional intelligence there that I think you and I have talked about often, Kim. That's just a critical x factor. You can have all the skills and the teaching knowledge, but your ability to read the room and read your members and handle those situations.
Simon Gale:So he demonstrates that well, but I really like his thoughts around who he's surrounding himself with and the ability to pick up that phone, as he said, and talk to somebody in the industry that's got some experience and just be able to bounce an idea off. And I think that's one of my big takeaways is that network. You you have to nurture that, and you have to you have to relish it, and you have to make sure you're not just calling people when you need them because I think they'll be less likely to pick up the phone. I think you've got to nurture those relationships and make sure that you it's a two way street. And then when you call them, they will pick up the phone, and they'll be there for you.
Simon Gale:And I think that's something that he'll do a really good job of. So thanks so much for joining us, mate. It's been insightful, and I appreciate the the kind words, but also just your reflection on your career so far. Excited to see what the future looks like.
Diego Leal Reyes:Thank you both for having me and then always, you know, for being a resource to the industry. Love the podcast. Please keep it up.
Kim Bastable:You're very kind. I mean, think it is insightful when I think back on it. You need a network that is within your workplaces and then outside your workplaces. And I think that's what industry meetings do so well is give you an opportunity to talk to people who might be different parts of the country doing the same role, different size of club doing the same role. And those are the types of resources you need.
Kim Bastable:And one thing I think a lot of people maybe said about the Racquet Sports Management Apprentice was that it's at the campus and that's a limited world. There are not any places with a 100 plus courts and it doesn't expose you to what is out there. But through the industry meetings I've seen you all at, so many contacts outside of the campus, You are in the whole industry through that experience, and not that the podcast was intended to be a sales for that, but I would say, in general, it seems that it's been just a really good overall education based on what you've said, Diego. So I'm just I'm excited for you in the future. I'm happy to help in any way.
Kim Bastable:And we're just hopeful that we can through this podcast, we've explained what the role is and the idea that it takes that type of dedication that Diego has shown to educate yourself, prepare yourself emotionally, physically, mentally for the role which has many hats, as we've said many times.
Diego Leal Reyes:Absolutely.
Kim Bastable:Good luck, and we, we thank you all for the listeners of Racquet Fuel for being with us today, and we hope you are out there building your network, asking a few people to become your mentor, and learning from everyone around you. Have a great day. We'll speak to you again next time on Racquet Fuel.
Introduction:That's all for today, but we're not out of fuel. You can find more information and resources in our show notes and by visiting racketfuelpodcast.com. If you liked what you just heard, please subscribe. And also, leave a review, which helps other people join the mission to become stronger Racquet's leaders.
Conclusion:This podcast is a production of Athlete Plus, the people, stories, science behind elite athletes and teams. Athlete Plus is the official podcast network of the Institute for Coaching Excellence, a research, education, and outreach center in the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida. The Institute for Coaching Excellence offers various online certificate programs and degrees in partnership with the Department of Sport Management. Learn more today at coaching.hhp.ufl.edu.
