Parent of the Month - February 2007
Lynn Krause

 

1. Can you give your philosophy on being a great tennis parent?

We view long term success as measured by effort, sportsmanship and having fun. The coaches and player will take care of improvement and performance. We try to encourage, support and listen to Lindsay. We try not to be judgmental, to avoid meaningless comparisons and forget the numbers. We also try to keep in mind that the sport itself is primarily the responsibility of the player and the coach.

2. Lynn, we have noticed that Lindsay keeps a positive outlook regardless of results. How has she achieved this?

We think that Lindsay understands that you can’t change results; you can only learn from them. She wants to have fun and learn as much as she can from both victories and defeats.

3. Is there anything you would have done differently?

It would have been good to realize earlier how much of a learning process there is for players and parents as well. We also would have benefited from realizing earlier how much more important it is to focus on the long term process rather than the short term results.

4. Lindsay’s fitness has improved greatly. What if anything have you and Lindsay done to get her level of fitness up?

We gave her the opportunity to work with her trainer and we encourage her to see how much her fitness pays off in the long run. Fitness, just like tennis technique, is an incremental, step by step process.

5. What does Lindsay’s tennis mean to you and your family?

Lindsay’s tennis gives us pride in her ability and sportsmanship on the court, her accountability to herself and to her coaches, and her maturity in accepting these responsibilities. It is, of course, so enjoyable to watch her giving her best on and off the court, and … the road trips can be great family fun.

Our favorite parenting quote:

“It is our job to give them roots, and it is our profound responsibility to give them wings”.