Episode 2: Feed Them A Sandwich...An Opportunity for Transformation with Guest Coach Christy Lynch

Today's Play: Coach Amy Bryant and her guest will discuss the similarities between coaching and parenting while sharing tips for finding a transformational experience for your child through sport. Topics covered include: recruiting, the transfer portal,  coach and team fit, parent strategies and more.

Today's Guest:  Coach Christy Lynch is a former Division I Head Women's Tennis Coach who currently is the Director of Junior Academy at ITA Atlanta Tennis & Pickleball Center.  Christy's college coaching positions include Clemson University, Georgia Tech University and Emory University.  As a college player, Christy won the NCAA Division I team national title and after graduation, Christy played on the professional tour.    

To learn more about Bryant College Coaching, click here.

Picking Teams: A Playbook for Parents is produced by: Amy Bryant and Sasha Melamud

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Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

Morning.

Amy Bryant: 0:11

Welcome to picking teams a podcast that dives into the playbooks of seasoned coaches. I'm your host. Amy Bryant, a 23 year veteran college coach and my guests hail from the professional college and youth ranks. Together, we'll share real stories from our coaching experiences to empower you as parents to be positive forces in your child sports journey. Our guest today is Christy Lynch. Christy is a former division one head women's tennis coach who currently is the director of junior Academy at ITA, Atlanta tennis and pickleball center. Christy's college coaching positions include Clemson University, Georgia Tech University and Emory University. As a college player, Christy won the NCAA division one team national title, and after graduation, she played on the professional tour. Today's play is feed them a sandwich. Christy and I will discuss the similarities between coaching and parenting while sharing tips for finding a transformational experience for our kids in sports. All right, so Christy, tell me about your college coaching journey.

Christy Lynch: 1:37

Yeah, you know it's it's been a long one that's for sure. Yeah, it started over a decade ago. You know, I had a great college experience as a player, and I quickly, you know, thought that college coaching would be something that I would like to pursue as a career, and my teammates, honestly, all thought that I would be a college attendance coach. So it's kind of funny that it happened. I kind of went that direction, but, yeah, I stayed in Atlanta. I graduated from Georgia Tech. Played four years at Georgia Tech. I started teaching right out of college, and was was playing some pro tournaments as well. And, you know, really fell in love with coaching and helping other people. Something that I was really passionate about working with juniors was was really gratifying for me. My journey really started as a volunteer coach. Met Georgia Tech again about a decade ago, and I still remember my first match as a volunteer, and it was against Georgia, our arch rival, and I think we lost it for three but after the match, I remember, you know, thinking to myself, like how much I really loved coaching out there and continuing on that season, and when it ended, that's when we met. I remember I had reached out to you at Emory, there was an assistant coaching position that was open, or maybe you had reached out to me. I really can't remember what happened, but I remember we had had lunch, and, you know, we just hit it off. And it was great because I was able to start my career at Emory with you as an assistant coach. And so, yeah, that second year I started as an assistant at Emory, and it was a great foundation for me and learning the kind of the ins and outs of college coaching and and working with college athletes a lot different than playing, that's for sure. But yeah, we had an absolutely great team that year, great leadership on that team. So, you know, just a great experience at Emory with you, learning so much. And then I moved on. I went back to my alma mater the following year with coach, Rodney Harmon, just another great mentor of mine, and we really built the program back to, you know, talk to vying for national championship type program, kind of similar to when I was a player there. But you know, I, you know, have so many great memories from my time as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. And, you know, after seven years I, you know, covid hit, I had my first daughter. And, you know, I had an opportunity to become a head coach at Clemson University, ACC conference. And, you know, I it was a tough decision, and I decided to take the risk and go for it. So I again, I learned so much there at Clemson. And, you know, grateful for my time there, but happy to be back here in Atlanta and working with juniors. And just absolutely love coaching. So

Amy Bryant: 5:17

awesome. You're so great. You have so much great energy. And I wish everyone could see you, because, like when you, it was you that reached out to me back before we started working at Emory. And I remember when I first walked in, we went to lunch at Panera, yeah, and this is back in what, 2013 maybe,

Christy Lynch: 5:37

yeah, 2013 2013 and I just walked

Amy Bryant: 5:41

in, and I saw you, and I saw your little blonde bun on top of your head, which is kind of Christy's signature hairdo, and and she in this big grin on her face, and she just has so much positive energy to share, which is why I think your teammates, way back then knew that you were destined to be a college coach, I mean, and what you did share with listeners is that your team won the national title at Georgia Tech division one national title Georgia Tech's first and only national title, still to this day, and Christy was a very important part of that team. So we have a real celebrity on podcast today. What would you say is your fondest coaching memory?

Christy Lynch: 6:31

You know, I've had so many great coaching memories on and off the court, but I would say, you know, great things take time. You know, when I started at Georgia Tech, it was, again, super challenging that first year as an assistant with with Rodney. We, you know, went through so many ups and downs and you know, our goal of bringing that team back to, you know, national title contention. It took about four years when those girls that came in as freshmen, their growth over those four years was really remarkable. And so at the end on that in that fourth year was the year that our team went on to, you know, reach number two in the country. We went on a run in the NCAA tournament to the semi finals. And I think those two matches, the round of 16 match versus Pepperdine in the quarterfinal match against UCLA, those two wins were probably some of the best tennis matches, college tennis matches that I've ever been a part of like as a player or coach, and it just the amount of team spirit and fight and unity, perseverance that the team showed was so incredible. And you know, it's just, you can't put a price on that. Those memories were really incredible for me as a coach, because it wasn't just that year. It was a culmination of the players before and the hard work that it took those years leading up to that, that one year that you could really see transformation in your players, and just the leadership and maturity that had, you know, over time, really transformed in our players. And then also, I would say I had a player. Mean, Georgia Tech is not an easy school, but we had a player reach back. She, you know, graduated. It was, it was tough. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college, and you know, not just to graduate from college, but you know, institution like Georgia Tech, is an unbelievable accomplishment, and it was not easy for her those four years. There were times when, you know, we didn't know if she was going to make it, and this was really not the right place, so just looking back over that and to get that email and message from her was special, and that's something a degree that you know they will take with them for the rest of their life. Wow, it's really

Amy Bryant: 9:20

empowering to hear you talk about your fondest memories and how it's not all about the wins, is it? It's it's about, you know, seeing these players develop and to use your words transform. And those are the things we remember as coaches. We don't always we you know, it's not always the wins and the losses that really stick with us. I think also something that you mentioned, I want to point out to our parents is the emphasis on development over a full four years, right? There's an argument there for our student athletes to stay in their current programs no matter what bumps they encounter along the way, because the transformation to use that word again occurs over a longer period of time, and sustaining those bumps or overcoming those obstacles really is, is what it's all about. But when our student athletes jump into something like the transfer portal and try to leave because they're unhappy. They're not learning how to overcome adversity in any way, shape or form. And so I think that that's an important lesson for all families who are considering playing college sports at any level, to remember that this is about much more than the wins and losses. This is about development holistically, and to get that development there needs to be some sort of commitment to staying in one place for a sustained period of time. Let's talk about your recruiting process at both Georgia Tech. You helped me with recruiting at Emory, you were completely responsible for recruiting at Clemson. I know you recruited some great international players there, so talk to me a little bit about your recruiting process. Just so families know absolutely

Christy Lynch: 11:19

you know I remember being a 16 year old junior player. I think that's when I started to really, really look into college tennis, and I just took the responsibility into my own hands. I kept tabs on the college matches, the rankings and things of that nature. And then I noticed, in the spring of I was a junior in high school, you know, that Georgia Tech had, you know, started to really make some waves in the rankings. And I remember my mom telling me, she said, Well, you know, Brian Shelton is the head coach there. He's He's also from Alabama. I'm from Alabama as well. And so I reached out to him myself and let him know that I was interested in Georgia Tech and learning more about the school, and you know his coaching philosophy, and you know what, what they could offer. And he responded immediately. So we connected right away. It just happened to be that I was graduating a year early from high school, and you know, I think that's important to know, is that when the student athlete initiates contact first, I think it sets a really good impression on the head coach, and it helps that relationship between the head coach and the student athlete develop naturally, without the parent kind of taking the forefront, and things just kind of escalated from there. He drove over with his family in a minivan, his wife and two kids, son, Ben Shelton, who's, you know, a top pro on the tour now, he was only, I think, maybe two years old then. So they came over to my house during the spring, which, you know, all head coaches know, that's a big commitment, because the spring is super busy, and I met with him and my in the den of my house with my my brother, who had come home from college for the weekend, and remember, my mom made him a sandwich, and we just had a Great conversation. And you know, I absolutely loved Brian, and he watched my brother and I hit at our neighborhood courts, and I just knew that I really wanted to go to Georgia Tech to play for him. And I knew that, you know, the goals that I had. I possibly wanted to play professional tennis, but I knew that I wanted to be a part of a program that could, you know, achieve something really special for the first time. And you know, I could see that, you know, his team was really starting to take momentum, and I felt that with his leadership, his coaching, that you know, our team could win a national championship. And you know, on top of that, Georgia Tech is an incredible academic institution. You know, I was looking for education that, you know, beyond my playing career could serve me well. And it really ticked all the boxes for me. I love being in a city with lots of people. Love that type of energy. And then I drove over to meet the team and watch them compete. They were hosting first and second round of NCAA for the first time, and the type of girls that were on the team were just incredible. You know, I had dinner with them, and just really loved the energy of the girls and the culture that was there, and I just I didn't go on any other visits. I was really knew what I wanted, and couldn't wait to become a yellow jacket so that it was very simple for me. I didn't go on all these visits and meet all these coaches. I just knew right then that, you know, this is where I was going, and I wanted to help Georgia Tech win championships and hopefully play some pro tennis afterwards. But, yeah, as a college coach, I felt that recruiting was one of my strong suits. I really enjoy meeting people, and I love learning about, you know, what, what student athletes are interested in. I love hearing about their junior tennis journey. And I think the most important thing with recruiting is really trying to find the right fit for the student athlete, and you know, the school, and it doesn't mean that you're not a right coach for them. It's really important to make sure it fits right on both ends. You know, is this student athlete? Are they going to be competing in your lineup? You know, are they the type of person with the values that you want to have in your program? Do those values align? Is this, you know, player? Do they have the type of characteristics that are going to, you know, maybe not right away, but will they, you know, help enhance the the other teammates that are already on your team. So there's so many things that come into play with recruiting, and you know, ultimately it has to be the right fit on both ends. And you know, the student athlete really needs to do their due diligence. Because, again, it's, it's not just four years. It's, you know, the next 40 years, it's, it's, you know the these teammates are going to be your friends for life. You know this degree will take you. You know your path is, you know, a lot determined by where you go to college. And again, I think it's, you know, one of the biggest struggles that have kind of happened the past couple years is the transfer portal and how easy it is for a student athlete who's, you know, 18 to 22 years old is is still very young. And I think you know that age student athletes go through so many difficult times, and it's really easy to kind of think the grass is greener somewhere else, and there's a lot of value in sticking with something. And you know, the loyalty that is shown from that me means a lot. And it's not to say that, you know, I'm, I'm, there are certain situations where maybe the transferring is the right option. I'm not saying that's not, you know, always a bad thing, but it's certainly become, you know, very easy. And you know, you see players graduate or attending multiple teams and universities, and you know, it's to me just, you know, it's tough to see. I think you know, as coaches, we try to teach values of, you know, commitment and loyalty and perseverance, and that kind of goes against those values.

Amy Bryant: 18:46

Yeah, that's really, really well said. And I want to point out a couple things that you mentioned. I mean, from the beginning of you answering that question, the first thing you said is you reached out to Brian like you're the one that took the initiative to do that, and you were a top ranked Junior in this country like you know, you're a very good tennis player, so even the best athletes have to advocate for themselves in the recruiting process. So you are a testament to that. And the other thing I want to point out is that Brian responded immediately to you coaches know what they're looking for. When they receive an email from a prospective student athlete, they know exactly what rank you're looking for, they know exactly what club team they're looking for, what level they're looking for, they know exactly what times they're looking for, no matter what the sport, they know what they're looking for, and if they see it when you reach out, they will respond. That's not to say that you shouldn't be persistent in reaching out, but at some point after you've given it two or three tries, it's probably time to recognize that, oh, this coach isn't interested in me. Maybe I am not meeting the standards that this coach has set for his or her program. So, yeah, I mean again, hats off to you, Christy for being as awesome as you are and just being able to send that one email to a coach and getting him to drive up in his minivan with his whole family. Yeah, all it takes is feeding him a sandwich and you're in.

Christy Lynch: 20:19

I did call him as well and and I was really hoping he would pick up, because as a 16 year old, leaving a voicemail is like the most experience. But I did manage to leave a voicemail, and he did call me back. So that was good.

Amy Bryant: 20:37

Did they have email back then? We

Christy Lynch: 20:38

had email. Yes, he did. We had email, I think it was like, just after the AOL, you know, oh my god, housing for 2005

Amy Bryant: 20:50

maybe that's awesome. I love it. I also really like how you're talking about the fit on both ends of the spectrum there, the coach has to feel like you're going to be a good fit for their program, and you have to feel like the coach and the team are a good fit for you, because if they're not, then you won't flourish in the way that you have the potential to flourish and thrive when you're in college. So my advice to our listeners and to our families, is to make sure that you really do some significant investigation into the team cultures and the coaching dynamics to make sure that they are a good fit for your child and for your family, so that your child can thrive like Christy clearly thrive At Georgia Tech. And then I also really enjoyed how you took your experience at Georgia Tech into your future, future recruiting, and how much you enjoy talking to people, because I do think that is an essential piece of that recruiting process, and we do see coaches that are not people people, but yet they're still able to be successful in recruiting. So it's not an essential qualification for a coach to enjoy talking to people and be really social, but you know, there is still a way for those coaches to be successful in their recruiting, they might just do things a little bit differently. So again, every coach's style might not be the right style for you, so finding the coach that has the right style often presents itself in the recruiting process. What when you were recruiting at the colleges that you were coaching at, what was an immediate turn off to you in recruiting,

Christy Lynch: 22:49

you know, first of all, you want to make sure the the player can play the level, you know, it's, it's, it's really that's kind of like that first funnel, like, you know, this, this player has to have, you know, a certain level of play that's going to be, you know, meet the criteria. Maybe they're a great person, you know, would be a great teammate, but this is just not the right school for you. So first, playing level, and then second, you know, I would say, you know, parents reaching out first is kind of a turn off for me. I like when the student athlete takes that initiative, when student athletes take a really long time to respond to messages. That's another one. You know, I like, you know, an assertive a student athlete or a player that shows that they're, you know, interested is going to respond, not immediately, but in a time frame that's, you know, pretty short. And then another turn off is when a high school or a junior player doesn't ask a lot of questions. I see a lot of times, you know, or I'll be on the phone, or they'll come on a visit, and, you know, they're, they don't, don't ask a whole lot of questions. Or the questions maybe they ask are not about tennis, or that's not a very good sign, at least for the programs that I was a part of, you want to find those kids that show an interest in the things that are important to you. And you know, academics, number one, number two, tennis, making sure that this this player really loves the sport is important. And then also leadership skills, you know, responding immediately, showing respect. You know, I'd see a junior player at a tournament and the way that they communicate with their parents off the court. You know, those are the little things that I would look at. You know, just their mannerisms on court and eye contact just when I'm talking with that junior player. Something as simple as that would be a huge turn off for me. So yeah, lots of little things, but those are a few.

Amy Bryant: 25:14

Those are really, really helpful, and I can vouch for all of them. I mean, I talked to a lot of coaches, and I've worked with a lot of coaches, and 100% of them say that their number one turn off is when a parent reaches out to them first. So you know the if you take one from this podcast, it's that parents like your job is to be the chauffeur, drive your kids to the matches or the games or wherever, and then everything else rests on the shoulders of your child. And if you're struggling to get your child to do the reaching out, then I think you probably need to dig a little bit deeper into what's behind that. And you know, sometimes it's just that a kid is really nervous about it. Maybe they're shy, and that's okay. I mean, Christy, would you say that if you had that player who was, you know, really, really good, so they've checked that talent box, but they are really, really shy, and they struggle to look you in the eye, or they struggle to ask all of those questions. You know, they struggle to really, like, form a good conversation with you. Would you? Could you look past that? If you knew they were a good kid? They have the character they respect their parents when you're watching them, you know, could you look past that? Because they're such a good player, and you hope that they're going to develop and come out of their shell at this point?

Christy Lynch: 26:32

Absolutely, absolutely. And to be honest, you know, when I converse with a junior player, they come on a visit and they are a little shy. I actually like that. I mean, it shows that they really care. You know, sometimes a junior player would come in and be, you know, super cocky, and, you know, on their phone. And, you know, sometimes the junior that's a little bit shy at first is a good thing, and for sure, it's something that you could definitely look past.

Amy Bryant: 27:07

Yeah, good. That's good to hear. But I also think it is something that our kids can prepare for. I mean, they are so ingrained into their cell phone and to technology these days that their communication skills aren't always the strongest, and really, this is their first like job interview. So would you ever go into a job interview cold without preparing some questions to ask no but that might not be something that is in their frame of reference that they're thinking. So they need a little bit of prep. And parents, that's something that you can do. You can prep your kids with some Q and A to get them prepared for an interview and make sure that they have at least three questions prepared to ask the coach when they're talking. And that can help like that preparation can help snap some of that shyness and that nervousness away as well. What would you say is the most frustrating thing that you've dealt with as a college coach?

Christy Lynch: 28:09

That's a good question. I I mean, there's a lot of frustrating things as a college coach, but I would go back to the, you know, the rules with the transfer portal that that's been kind of a frustrating thing the past couple years, and then the N i l collective, or the N i l stuff, kids are more interested and, or seem to be more interested in What they can get, like materialistic things, versus, you know, what? What am I getting out of this experience, besides, you know, scholarship or dollars, you know, I think going back to, you know, college athletics and the value of, you know, being a part of a team and the things that you learn from that student athlete experience go way beyond you know how many nil dollars you know you can make, or, you know, if this isn't, you know, the best experience I've ever had in my life. Year one, you know, where am I going to go? Year two, just, you know, that type of thing is really frustrating, and you know, the society and our culture now there's a lot of instant gratification, you know, get instantly and that's something that you know, you kind of see more of in high school students is, you know, wanting things right away. And I think we touched on that earlier, making sure that they understand that things take time, and that's really important, or great things take time. So, yeah, I think it was Nick Saban. He said, You want to be happy for a day, go get ice cream. But if you want to be happy for a life, you know, you've got to it takes time, hard work every single day, and you know, sometimes the difficult, challenging times make it all worthwhile.

Amy Bryant: 30:19

Yeah, that's really, really great advice, and I can totally connect with that, because today, my 17 year old came home from soccer practice and he was in a horrible mood. I asked him, what happened? He's like, our team sucks. Nobody's playing well, I should be playing a different position, this, that and the other. And he's usually a pretty positive and, you know, upbeat kid, and he was really, really, really, just negative about the whole thing. And here's his team. They're heading to nationals in a month. You know, they're a good team, so they had a bad day. But my first thought as a parent, you know, I'm guilty of this too, this instant gratification, because we want to make our kids happy. We don't like to see them in this way. And my first thought was, ooh, is there another team that he can transfer to before we get to Nationals so he can play with a stronger team and and then I had to just check myself and remind myself that that's absolute nonsense that has been with this team for the last four years. He loves these boys. He loves this coach, and just because they've had a bad day doesn't mean that there's something that needs to be fixed. So as parents, we really need to continue to do that. And like I said, I'm guilty too, but we need to check ourselves and just make sure that we're not contributing to this instant gratification that the kids are expecting Absolutely.

Christy Lynch: 31:50

Yeah, I think that the parent voice is so important. And you know, that's why you know your junior coach, and that's, you know, I'm coaching Junior Tennis now, and it's, it's almost, you know, important to help coach your your junior parents as well, yeah, because, you know, at the end of the day, they're that the one of the, if not the biggest influence on the student athlete.

Amy Bryant: 32:17

Absolutely, yeah. And I definitely want to come back and talk to another time about about how to help parents of junior tennis players now that you're coaching junior tennis players, because I know you've got a lot of wisdom to share with us there, but before we end today, I have one question for you, and kind of circles back to Brian driving up in his minivan then, to recruit you. But now that you're a parent and you have young daughter, How has being a coach influenced your parenting style with her as she begins her foray into sports? Yeah, it's

Christy Lynch: 32:58

that's a great question. You know, it's amazing how similar coaching and parenting really are. That's one thing that I've noticed. And, you know, I've also been able to kind of put myself in the apparent shoes of a junior that I'm coaching. And like you said, it's so painful to see your child unhappy or in, in, you know, crying. Or, you know, I have a four year old, so she cries over everything. I kind of learned to, like, you know, block it out sometimes. But, you know, she's doing swimming right now. We've started soccer. We're doing a little bit of tennis. And, you know, I think it was maybe, like, her second soccer practice. I, you know, I took her out there. I'm, you know, how I am. I'm like, go out there and score all the goals, even though you're four. But yeah, she went out there and for, I think, 2530 minutes, she was just doing like, circles on the field and, like playing with butterflies. I, I had to, like, hold myself back. And, you know, my husband is also a coach as well. And you know, we're just like, let her be. You know, when she's ready, she will jump out there and go for the ball and and it happens. You know, you see it, I think there's a balance of, like, nudging and just making sure they're having fun when they're young is really important. But, yeah, I think, you know, as a as a parent, it comes even more like, you know, I have some parents say that they're, they've really kind of guarded their child into playing lots of tournaments early because they're trying to, like, protect their

Amy Bryant: 34:48

emotional state.

Christy Lynch: 34:51

And, you know, I think, as a parent, it's, it's important to not be a helicopter and let your child experience things be there for them, but make sure that you know they learn to, you know, act on their own and figure things out on their own, and just making sure that they, You know, are acting appropriate and are being respectful and working hard, all of those values. But you know, at the end of the day, they have to, you know, want it for themselves, and it's got to come from, from them. You know, the parent can't want it for them. So I think, you know, as a parent, just giving them the opportunity to experience different sports, different activities, and guiding them, you know, to help figure out maybe there's something that they enjoy doing, but I think, you know, that's the biggest thing that I've kind of been able to take away, is there's so much similarities. And you know how influential the parents role in the child's success really is. It's just huge. Good,

Amy Bryant: 36:12

great. Thank you so much for being here today. We really enjoyed it. You had a lot of great insight to share. Thanks,

Christy Lynch: 36:17

Amy, I really appreciate it. And, yeah, it's been fun. Thanks for having me.

Amy Bryant: 36:27

Thanks for tuning in for today's play. Join us next time to hear more insights from another outstanding coach. Until then, remember, as you have the ups and downs of your child sports journey, you're building character, fostering resilience and creating lifelong memories.