Category Archives: Tech of Sports

From the shoes we wear on our feet to the high definition televisions in our living room, wearable devices, the sports universe is a breeding ground for technology. Writer and Photographer Rick Limpert will examine this each week on The Tech of Sports – With guests which include athletes, inventors and journalists that cover the intersection of sports and technology.

Yair Banuelos, Men’s and Women’s Head Tennis Coach, Auburn Montgomery

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College sports are going through an interesting time and it’s not only the NCAA DI programs. Don’t forget about the DII and DIII programs around the country.

Rick is joined this week, by his friend, Yair Banuelos, the Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at DII, Auburn Montgomery.

Banuelos came to the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks from Western New Mexico University, where he guided both the men’s and women’s programs to national prominence, as well as established the Mustangs as a power in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

A native of Mexico City, Mexico, Banuelos was a star on the court for the Mustangs prior to his coaching career. As a junior he was named the RMAC Player of the Year in 2010, earning All-RMAC first team honors in singles and doubles.

During his final year Banuelos was named the Senior Player of the Year in the South Central Region, the RMAC Honor Student-Athlete of the Year, and earned singles and doubles All-RMAC first-team honors for the second year in a row. During his senior year Banuelos went 6-0 in both singles and doubles during the conference season, while also being named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team for his work in the classroom.

Banuelos earned his bachelor’s degree from Western New Mexico in 2011, before earning his master’s from WNM in 2013.

He now guides the Warhawks on the court and through a pandemic affecting all college sports.

His women’s team posted a record of 5-4, while the men finished 4-4 in a 2020 season shortened by COVID-19. The Warhawks won three of five combined GSC matches, with the women going 2-1 against conference foes. Both squads closed out the abbreviated season with a 7-0 road win at Spring Hill College on March 8. Prior to the beginning of the 2020 spring campaign, the double’s duo of Alba De la Torre and Julia Enderink came in at no. 20 nationally in the final ITA 2019 Fall D-II Double’s Rankings.

In 2019, Coach Banuelos led the women’s team to a record of 9-12 and the men to a mark of 13-6. The women’s squad posted the fourth-best Gulf South Conference record at 7-4, while the men’s team finished third in the regular-season conference standings at 8-2. The men’s team ranked at no. 28 nationally in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association D-II rankings, with Alvaro Terron ranking 28th nationally in singles and Eban Straker-Meads ranking 36th. Both the men’s and women’s tennis programs were named All-Academic Teams by the ITA, while Alba De la Torre, Julia Enderink, Svenja Petri, Tonja Foessmeier, Eban Straker-Meads, Marcus Lind and Santiago Veglia were named ITA Scholar Athletes.

Learn about what Coach is going though with his teams at the DII level.

Rich Neher, Author of ‘Drop in Tennis Secrets’

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Rick is joined by longtime tennis teaching professional and organizer, Rich Neher this week on “Tech of Sports.”

Tennis Pros hurting during Covid-19 can develop a second income stream thanks to his new book, “Drop-In Tennis Secrets.”

Neher talks the publication of his new tennis book “Drop-In Tennis Secrets,” which is now available as a paperback and in a Kindle version. He set out to find an answer to the question, “Can you make money in tennis when your name is not Roger or Rafa?” The answer is, yes! Drop-In Tennis Secrets is a handy guide for those seeking to organize tennis matches for local players and make some money in the process. Neher says, “This manual is suitable for tennis professionals that want to add a second income stream to their regular business, and for entrepreneurial tennis players who want to start a business in the sport they love.”

All the steps for starting and conducting a successful drop-in tennis business are covered. All aspects of a new tennis business, from start to finish, with plenty of tips and best practices, are presented in an easy-to-read, clear, and precise style, including Neher’s “Secret Sauces” to keep players coming to your group week after week.

Delaine Mast, National Director for World TeamTennis Community Leages, writes, “As I read your book, it reinforced for me how there is no replacement for experience. Your vast experience and passion for tennis, and people have made you successful and uniquely qualified to help others. I hope that others will read this booklet and realize it can help them create their own success story!”

Rich Neher is a tennis writer and publisher of a monthly newsletter titled TENNIS CLUB BUSINESS. Rich has organized and personally conducted thousands of drop-in tennis events in Southern California since 1998.

Equipped with a German engineering degree, Rich emigrated to the United States in 1985. After 5 years in Philadelphia, he moved to Southern California where he pursued his passion for tennis; he started to play tennis, and learned the business of tennis. Rich was a Board member of the San Diego District Tennis Association and received the Community Tennis Award from the USPTA San Diego division. It was in 1994, at the Bobby Riggs Tennis Club in Encinitas, California, when Rich began organizing drop-in Tennis events for local, recreational players.

As Team Lead for Adult Leagues and NTRP Ratings on the USTA Tennislink Team, he taught the ins and outs of league tennis to coordinators in all 17 USTA sections. In 2008 he moved from San Diego to the Los Angeles area and in 2009 he started his consulting business, TENNIS MEDIA GROUP, and became a tennis sports writer for Inside Tennis and the Examiner Group. Rich began publishing TENNIS CLUB BUSINESS in January of 2014.

He is the recipient of the 2003 Community Service Award from the USPTA San Diego Division and of the 2019 PTR Media Excellence  Award.
In 2020, after creating and organizing almost 3,000 drop-in tennis round robins, he wrote and published the booklet “Drop-In Tennis Secrets – a manual for creating a second income stream with tennis.”

 

Jill Sylvester, Author of ‘Trust Your Intuition’

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Rick revisits a book he reviewed last year, by talking to the author, Jill Sylvester.

The book is Trust Your Intuition.

Jill is a licensed mental health counselor, author of the Nautilus award winning book,”Trust Your Intuition: 100 Ways to Transform Anxiety and Depression for Stronger Mental Health,” and host of the “Trust Your Intuition Podcast.” Her work has been featured in Well+Good, Bustle, SheKnows, WorkingMother, Parenthood, TeenMentor, and OprahMag.com.

Jill explains… there is a way to feel better…by learning to trust yourself?

There is. And Trust your Intuition: 100 Ways to Transform Anxiety and Depression for Stronger Mental Health will show you how.

Written by licensed mental health counselor and wellness advocate Jill Sylvester, Trust Your Intuition provides 100 simple tips and techniques designed to teach you to harness the power of your intuition, find the hidden meaning in your suffering, transform anxious and depressed feelings and emerge stronger and more powerful than ever. The tips are divided into five sections that will help you:

Hold on
Take good self-care
Believe
Trust your intuition, and
Feel better

This book makes you feel better about yourself and the world around you.

It will make you put yourself in a better situation. Get 30 years of self-development ideas and tools that have also proven effective with clients including adults, adolescents and children, Trust Your Intuition will guide you to elevate your life and align with the wisdom that already exists inside of you. There are even some specifics for athletes!

Jill says, “Athletes are human too!”

. To receive her weekly blog offering strategies to better your life, subscribe at jillsylvester.com

Ryan Gellis, Founding Partner, RMG Talks the Future of Sports Retail

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Ryan Gellis joins Rick this week. He is founding partner of RMG Media.

Ryan founded RMG to help brands make genuine connections with their customers. He has a background in technology and over 10 years experience in ecommerce strategy and management. The list of companies he has worked with include industry titans like Charming Charlie, Sally Beauty, and Verizon. When not leading RMG, Ryan enjoys playing music, gaming, and starting (but not finishing) construction projects at home.

With e-commerce sales up 30 percent in the Covid marketplace, business prognosticators have been adamant about the death of brick and mortar, with online channels predicted to become the dominant business model. However, the situation is more nuanced than presented by market analyst doomsayers. For instance, a recent article by Square noted how, despite a recent survey showing that 51 percent of Americans say they prefer shopping online, only 10 percent of the estimated $3.3 trillion in annual retail sales last year came from online transactions.

Rick and Ryan talk about the current state of sports ecommerce and where it is heading.

Gellis has worked as a veteran craftsman of retail strategies and brand experiences for over a decade. He can tell you that those calling for the death of retail are off the mark in their analysis.

Clothes, watches, jewelry and other luxury goods will remain in physical retail, as that customer base wants to be able to handle and try products on–and this experience cannot be replicated online. The gentrification of urban areas has led to a preference for mixed use spaces that combine commercial spaces with residential. Malls will adopt this model to adapt to modern times.

Customers often browse and research online before going to stores, and thought leaders in the industry will be looking to smartphone apps and other digital solutions to augment and enhance the retail experience.

Sports is wild animal and without fans for the most part in 2020, an evolution is taking place.

 

Stacey Nemour, Flexible Fitness and Getting Flexible

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This week’s guest is Stacey Nemour, the most renowned flexibility master in her field. She has been Flexibility Coach to top athletes, Olympians, Professional dancers, Cirque Du Soleil performers, actors, UFC Champion Victor Belfort and the Carlson Gracie Team and more, to maximize their potential.

Stacey began her career by achieving a black belt in Kung Fu, then Flexibility Coaching found her when top athletes and performers would seek her out after seeing her kicking with spectacular range of motion. Stacey specializes in one of a kind mind, body, spirit flexibility training to unleash the highest potential in every individual that follows her step by step proven system. She designed The Stacey Stretch Strap ® and The Stacey Posture Strap as the perfect spotting tools to go with her system.

From the moment she saw their Kung Fu training she knew right then and there that would be her life-path. She has contributed over 30 published articles to The Huffington Post on: Kung Fu, Meditation, Flexibility, Spirituality, Health and Well-Being.​ Also has been showcased in cover stories for such notable publications as Inside Kung Fu and Brazil’s Kiai, as well as prominent features in Masters of Kung Fu, Inside Martial Arts, and recently, four issues of Kung Fu Magazine.

Other success stories include training Ultimate Fighting Champion Vitor Belfort and The Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu Team for their triumphant UFC championship fights on pay-per-view. In addition, she currently worked with Team Canada’s Track/Field/Triple hurdler Divya Biswal and Team Mexico Synchronized swimmer Jessica Sobrino for next Olympics, Professional High diver 2016 World Cup Champion Lysanne Richard. Previously NBA players Jalen Rose of the Indiana Pacers, and the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team. Her clients rave about their improved flexibility, decline in injuries, and increased range of motion. Her stint with the LA Galaxy prompted Randy Kerdoon of Fox Sports 11 in Los Angeles to produce a feature story during sweeps profiling Stacey and her work. Recognizing her talent, television producers eventually called upon her. Stacey was Cybill Shepherd’s fight double for an episode of Cybill, where she choreographed a fight scene and kick boxed three aliens. Stacey also appeared in the popular television series Power Rangers as the guest lead.

​​A model for fitness and sport, the editors of SELF magazine featured her martial arts workout in the body-bonus section. So impressed by her, they called on her once again to teach and prepare actress Shannon Elizabeth to perform a side kick in a photo shoot.

At present, Stacey’s DVD’s/Online Courses include Anytime, Anywhere Kung Fu, Secrets of Splits & Flexibility, Extreme Flexibility for Pro-Athletes & Teams, Stretching for the Least Flexible People On The Planet, Secrets of Splits & Flexibility 2, and her latest 15 new Online Streaming Flexibility Makeover Intensive Courses with Olympians, Pro-Athletes, Ballet Dancers, Gymnasts, Performers and More! Click here to start your makeover takeover now

Secrets of Splits & Flexibility 1 is an updated version of her popular program, with bonus material for International distribution through Body in Balance TV which was on television last year on SKY Channel in the UK , Greece and other European territories.

Mark Woo, the inventor of the StretchGym™, also hired Stacey to write and star in the DVD that is included with StretchGym. She designed the routine to go with this brilliant aid for increasing flexibility.
​
Stacey works with athletes and individuals internationally, which has developed into a two year wait list to discover her secrets to flexibility. Her intention to help everyone with her rare gift which inspired her to film new Flexibility Makeover Courses so everyone of every age, level, need and sport can achieve the same results that have already helped thousands.

Check out the Stacey Stretch Strap.

Additional links:

Online Courses

Flexibility Products

Photo credits: www.tdphoto.com

Mariah Stackhouse, LPGA Player

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The LPGA Tour is slated to launch this summer, and major women’s golf is returning to Georgia in 2021. Atlanta Athletic Club will host the 67th KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, June 22-27, 2021.

To talk about this along with her career and golf in general, RIck is joined by LPGA player, Mariah Stackhouse as she shares details about this high-profile championship’s Georgia debut.

There is also a unique pop-up fan experience set to debut later in July.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship pop-up fan experience set for July 16th from 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Avalon in their outdoor Living Room space near Crate & Barrel. The pop-up fan experience will celebrate women’s golf with information about the tournament – set to be played at the Atlanta Athletic Club from June 22-27, 2021 – with chances to win prizes and tickets to the event. Golf fanatics are encouraged to cool off with a sweet treat, test their tee-rific swing with putt-putt golf and take photos with the trophy – celebrating women in golf and the local golf community. The pop-up is free and open to the public.

Mariah Stackhouse at a glance:

2019 in a Nutshell

  • 20 events, eight cuts made, $127,365 (100)
  • Recorded a season-best finish of T5 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer

Career Highlights:

2018:

  • 26 events, 20 cuts made, $273,260 (67)
  • Recorded two top-10 results including a career-best T7 finish at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer

2017:

  • 15 events, seven cuts made, $81,678 (114)
  • Recorded a career-best T8 finish at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic

2016

  • Finished in a tie for 21st at the LPGA Qualifying Tournament to earn Priority List Category 17 status for the 2017 LPGA Season
  • Has competed in five LPGA events with her career-best finish coming at the 2016 Cambia Portland Classic where she finished T47

Amateur

  • Graduated from Stanford University in 2016 with a degree in Communication
  • A four-time All-American at Stanford who helped lead the Cardinals to the 2015 National Championship
  • Played on the victorious 2014 U.S. Curtis Cup team