The Joy of the Journey

Summary

In this solo season 15 premiere, Parenting Aces host Lisa Stone reflects on her own tennis parenting journey — from her son’s first love of college tennis at a University of Georgia summer camp at age 9, through the challenging recruiting process, a difficult freshman year at the wrong school, a successful transfer and sophomore year, and his eventual decision to walk away from competitive tennis during college. She uses her personal experience to frame the season’s theme: finding joy in the journey and prioritizing the parent-child relationship above results, rankings, or return on investment.

Guest Background

• Lisa Stone is the founder and host of Parenting Aces (est. 2011, season 15 in 2026)
• Mother of three children (two daughters, one son); only her son pursued competitive tennis
• Based in the Atlanta area during her son’s junior tennis years
• Son played college tennis, transferred after a difficult freshman year, and voluntarily retired from competitive tennis after his sophomore season
• Son now lives in New Zealand, connected through a college teammate, and plays tennis recreationally
• Offers one-to-one consulting for tennis families

Key Topics

• Origin of Parenting Aces: Started in November 2011 as a blog documenting Stone’s journey with her son. Born from frustration at the lack of centralized guidance for tennis parents — coaches gave limited information, other parents gave conflicting advice, USTA offered little support. An online community member suggested she publish her findings for other families.
• The wrong college choice: Son had a “really rough freshman year” at a program that wasn’t the right fit. Stone was frustrated with the college coach, the ITA, and the university, none of which offered support. She considered ending Parenting Aces during this period.
• Walking away from tennis: After transferring and having a successful sophomore year, her son chose to stop playing college tennis to focus on other interests. Stone describes the private tears but ultimately respecting his decision.
• Life after tennis: Son discovered other talents and passions in the space created by leaving tennis. Now lives in New Zealand through a friendship with a college teammate, plays tennis recreationally, and has built a successful life.
• The real goal of tennis parenting: Stone argues the goal should be having a great relationship with your child at the end of the journey, not financial ROI. NCAA changes make scholarship payback increasingly unlikely.
• Season 15 preview: Focus on “the joys of being a tennis parent” with guests ranging from coaches, parents, players, educators, medical professionals, and psychologists.
• Available resources: One-to-one consults, Facebook group, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast on all apps, merchandise. Stone available via email (lisa@parentingaces.com), DM, WhatsApp.

Actionable Advice for Families

• The goal of being a tennis parent should be to have a great relationship with your child at the end of this journey, whenever and however it ends.
• Do not pursue tennis for financial return on investment. With NCAA changes to scholarships and roster spots, the likelihood of recouping development costs through scholarship money is slim.
• Model the behavior you want your child to exhibit: appropriate language, body language, reactions, and responses to adversity. If it doesn’t come naturally, put in the work to develop those skills yourself.
• Understand that your child is giving you a gift by pursuing this sport — intensive time together through their developmental years that most families don’t get. Value that.
• When your child is ready to move on from tennis, let them. The space created may allow them to discover other talents and passions. A child who plays tennis recreationally as an adult is a success story.
• The journey will include days of pure joy and days of wanting to quit. Both are normal. Seek support from communities like Parenting Aces.

INTENNSE Relevance

• Tennis parent market understanding: Stone’s 15-year journey running Parenting Aces provides deep insight into the tennis parent market — their frustrations, information gaps, and emotional needs. The origin story (no centralized guidance, conflicting advice, unresponsive governing bodies) maps the white space that still partially exists.
• College tennis pathway friction: The “wrong college” experience and the ITA’s refusal to help navigate it highlights ongoing friction in the junior-to-college transition. INTENNSE should note that even well-informed families (Stone was running a tennis parent platform) can end up at the wrong program.
• Post-tennis identity: The son’s story of finding purpose and success after leaving competitive tennis supports INTENNSE’s holistic development thesis. The sport should develop the whole person, not just the player.
• Community as product: Parenting Aces has survived 15 seasons primarily as a community platform (podcast, Facebook group, consulting). This longevity suggests strong, sustained demand for tennis parent community and guidance.

Notable Quotes

“The goal of being a tennis parent should be, in my opinion, to have a great relationship with your child at the end of this journey. Whether the journey ends at age 13, after high school, during college, or somewhere down the road, it will come to an end, but your relationship as your child’s parent is not going to end.”

“This isn’t about a financial return on investment. What’s going on with the NCAA right now, the likelihood that your child is going to get a college scholarship that compensates for all the money you spend throughout this journey is pretty slim.”

“As a result of stepping away from tennis, my son was able to focus on things that he had never had the opportunity to focus on prior to his junior year in college because he was so focused on getting better in tennis. Everything was about that.”