Time for me to say my goodbyes. Lauren and Frank leave on Monday for Germany where they will spend five weeks visiting Frank’s mom, and where Lauren will train and play a couple of tournaments including the 11-and-under German Nationals. The perks of dual citizenship. It’s always a great time for her, she gets to train at a fabulous club in Berlin and with pros other than her dad.

It’s a good change, training with a parent  has to be the hardest thing, which is why they take off to Florida to see Steve Smith and/or to Germany to see American Mark Hamlin, and his partner Peter Dietrich, a couple times a year. Okay, the hardest thing is me letting both of them go for five weeks, but I need to work and be here for our oldest daughter, who is also working this summer.

I do like the international experience Lauren gets on this trip. It’s like we put the past year in a box and close it up.  It’s done.  Bye bye. Going to Germany signifies the start of the next year of her development. Plus, when she plays a tournament, she’s anonymous. No one knows her strengths or her weaknesses. No one knows her win/loss record.  Every match is a first match against a player she’s never seen and never heard of, and who has never seen or heard of her.  It’s the time to work on things and try new tactics, sharpen the technique, take a new risk on court.  Without rankings to worry about, much can and does get done.

I like the idea of international trips to play tennis. Not that I have anything against playing in our home countries, it’s just that there is something pretty special about visiting the U.S. (for us Canadians) or Europe or anywhere else in fact, to play a sport our kids love. There’s so much to learn at this stage of development and for those very few who will ultimately go on to play pro, early exposure to playing in new countries with different cultures, food and customs can only help in the long-term. Even if a child doesn’t end up on the tour, international travel can build an openness of mind and spirit.

Early in this blog’s existance I posted 10 Junior Tournaments Every Parent Should Know About that listed some major U.S. and ITF tournaments to aspire to.  Playing ITF and other major tournaments outside of Canada is certainly a goal of Lauren’s, but what I’d like to find out more about is exchange programs that allow competitive juniors the chance to travel, train and play WITH kids from other lands.

I found this June article in the Galveston Daily News (yep, I read ‘em all!) about five high school tennis players from Texas who are on their way to Norway as part of an exchange program. They’ll play against their hosts which is great, but what I’m thinking would be neat, is if they could play doubles or train with the Norweigans.

But thinking about the competitive environment I live in, I’m sure if such a thing was available, the questions would start…. Who gets to go? The highest ranked players or pull the names from a hat? Could only those who could afford it, send their kids?  Would a local club, school, city, federation - support the initiative finacially? Then there’s the question of whether or not parents of competitive juniors want their children cozying up with the competition!  Where I live, I don’t see an enormous amount of friendship going on among the players.. or the parents for that matter! LOL! Everyone wants to eat everyone else and spit ‘em out when they’re done.  Some parents I’m sure, would prefer their kids play for their country and not get too close, either to their own teammates, or their foreign hosts. 

Sigh.  Well it was just an idea. I haven’t really found any such programs in my limited search anyway. But I  do know I’m glad Lauren gets to play in Germany for a little while. It’s good for her personally.

Tell me, are your children playing tournaments outside your nation? How are they doing it?  Do they enjoy it? Are you aware of any tennis exchange programs?  I’d like to learn more about how to help my child onto an international pathway. I’d love it if she could play ITF and other events.  Just not sure how its done.   Thanks for your input.

Coming up : Steve Smith weighs in on Playing Up.