Building Champions: Martin Blackman on Leadership, Development, and JTCC

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1:01Plights, book, bags, packed, kids packed. Cash back on vacation mode, earn 5% cash back on Chase Travel with Chase Freedom Unlimited. Restrictions and limitations apply cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bake and a member at TIC. Welcome back, Cracked Fans, to another edition of the Cracked Interviews podcast. I'm your host, Alex Grusken. We have another fantastic conversation for all of you listeners, courtesy of our friends at the Laurel Springs School, as I am joined by two outstanding guests today. Of course, first and foremost is a man behind so much of the success. We have seen from American tennis in the 21st century. Of course, he was the longtime general manager for USDA player development. He is now back at the Junior Tennis Champion Center, where he serves as CEO. Of course, I'm alluding to Martin Blackman, who joins the show for the first time to discuss why returning to the JTC was the right decision for him to discuss what role a club can play. It not only a tennis community, but what role can play in the broader community it resides with.

2:04Of course, then we are joined by Laurel Springs Partnerships, Specialist Jack Dempsey, as well to discuss the way JTC leverages its relationship with Laurel Springs to provide the best student athlete experience. Certainly, again, that partnership between the JTC, Laurel Springs, the success, those two entities have had and helped guide so many prospective student athletes to the schools they want to attend, to the aspirations they hope to achieve. It's why this conversation was such a joy to record. It's why I'm so excited to share it with all of you listeners here today. So with that, about further ado, let's get to it. Here's my conversation with Junior Tennis Champion Center, CEO Martin Blackman, and Laurel Springs Partnerships Specialist Jack Dempsey. Our Cracked Rackets team is so excited to be partnering with our friends at the Laurel Springs School. Laurel Springs has long ranked among the best online private schools in the United States.

3:06They offer a wealth of K-12 opportunities for students across the globe, and today you can learn more about Laurel Springs by visiting their website, LaurelSprings.com. You can hear directly from their head of schools, Alyssa Tormoa, as well, right now on our Cracked Interviews podcast feed to learn, perhaps while Laurel Springs might be the best educational pathway for your student moving forward. Again, here at Cracked Rackets, we believe in Laurel Springs. We believe in what they're trying to accomplish. We know they can provide a unique and exceptional educational opportunity for every student using their services and learn more by going to LaurelSprings.com. Today, Laurel Springs, the newest proud partner of us here at Cracked Rackets.

4:14And joining us now on the podcast for the first time today, a man who may be as consequential in American tennis as any man in the 21st century. It's because of all the different hats he's worn within the tennis industry, of course, for a long time. We knew him as the general manager for USDA player development. Now we know him as the CEO of the JTCC, one of if not the premier development academy we have in the United States. It's JTCC CEO, Martin Blackman, joining us on the show. My friend, it is great to finally have you on the show, great to get the chance to chat with you. How are you doing today? Alex, thank you for that great welcome. Thank you so much. I've been part of some great teams, so I don't take any of the credit for what's happening with this resurgence in American tennis, but definitely the team player development, that partnership with the private sector in our USDA sections that we call Team USA drove this resurgence, and we're just humbled and proud to be a part of it.

5:16It's great to be on the show. Well, you are far too humble, my friend. Great teams require great leadership, and you have certainly been an exceptional leader in every stop along the way. And I want to ask you about all those stops today, but you talk about being a part of some great teams. I promised you I had a fun one to start. This is where I want to start today's podcast, because for those that don't know about your playing career, you are part of Back to Back, National Championship Winning Stanford, Men's Tennis Teams, 1988, 1989. Now, someone was kind enough over the years to give me a book of every NCAA tournament draw that we've had in a human history, or since we had the team individual events. And you are part of a particularly notable moment for me that you may not be aware of. So 1988, for our listeners that don't know, you're into the NCAA doubles draw, playing with a man by the name of Pat McEnroe, they may have heard of. Round number one, you take on a Michigan pairing by the name of Ed Nagel, Malwashington. Ed Nagel was my coach growing up.

6:17He is still one of the closest people in my life, one of those role models we have in the sport to where you are. To where you, you know, again, he pushes you into staying in it for life. Can I just get the Ed Nagel Malwashington story? Because that was a hell of a doubles team. If the stories I've been told are true, not the worst victory, my friend. It sounds like we got lucky if we've been heading now. And then if we did beat Ed and Mal, that means that Patrick carried me. Thanks again to Patrick. But that was just such a great team. I mean, it was just such an honor to play for Coach Gould. I was very fortunate that when I came in as a freshman, Patrick was a senior. And he was the captain. He was a great captain, great leader. And we just clicked and played doubles that year, you know, as a freshman coming in and playing doubles with Patrick. I mean, what a great opportunity. And Coach always had us ready to play our best tennis by the time we got the Athens.

7:18So that was a fun one. Yeah, that 88 would have been LSU in the finals. And then 89 was Georgia. Yeah, fun members. No, this is what I always like to just open up the box here, let you guys kind of talk about those times. Because obviously we're in a cycle right now where college tennis is doing particularly well, notable how many players are coming from the college level to the pros. I feel like that might have even been the standard. Now obviously things were different, but back in those late 80s, where you go from obviously, you're self-part of this mix, but like you have a malwashing to the future Wimbledon finalists. You have Todd Martin, I think, was the one seed in 1990. Absolutely. I guess if you study the history of tennis, this college push, it's more of a resurgence than a first time, right? I guess that's the question. No, absolutely. It's definitely kind of a cycle. Because you know, you had this period in the 80s and 80s, where in the 80s and 90s, I say to the mid 90s,

8:19almost all of our top Americas on the men's side went to college for a year or two, sometimes three or four. And it was a very established part of the pathway where you knew you could improve. You knew you could play pro tournaments in the summer, and you're going to get more mature. You're going to get physically stronger. And then when you finally go out there for the demands of the tour, you're ready. And then there was a flip kind of starting with Jimmy Areas and Aaron Quickstein and Carling Bassett and Catherine Nolody and Kathleen Horvath, where you had all these great teens turning pro right out of high school. And then that kind of shifted the framework to where players thought, oh, I got to go pro out of high school. If I go to college, I'm going to miss out. I'm going to fall back. I'm going to lose time. And that was the case for about 10, 15 years. And then it's been very cool to see in the last 20 years as the level of coaching has elevated in college. Also, some of the relaxations on the restrictions in playing pro tournaments,

9:23our top collegians are playing tournaments in the fall and the summer. And NIL is making it economically more viable. So all the arrows are kind of pointing to 9 out of 10 of our best high schoolers, 17, 18. Go to college and get better. Go and develop. Go turn pro when you're in the top 300. Take the pressure off, socialize a bit more. And when you go out there, you just feel like a little bit lighter, a little bit fresher. And that's been so cool to see, you know, Jenny Brady, Peyton Sterns, Ben Shelton. I mean, you name it. So it's been great for American tennis. It's been great for the sport. And there are always going to be a couple players that can go straight out of high school, 17, 18. But it's definitely come back around and it's been a really good development. It's helping American tennis. No, there are always the outliers to your point. And we celebrate those outliers at all moments. How can you not, when you see one of them, Coco Goff continuing the success?

10:25It's like, you forget, Coco's still 22. She could be a senior in college right now. It's amazing how that works, the cyclical nature of it all. And it's also speaks to, there are so many different entry points to this sport, whether it be someone who's pursuing a college degree, whether it be someone who's pursuing things professionally, or whether it's just someone who wants to participate in tennis casually. And I know we see that participation rate rising. It feels like every year, I'm curious why the JTCC was where you wanted to reenter the tennis world, obviously, after about a decade, long tenure as general manager of player development at USTA. I'm sure there were some avenues open to you, my friend. Why was the JTCC someplace where you wanted to go back to continue your involvement with the sport? Yeah, great question, Alex. Thank you. So I had my first in here from 040, 0808. And I had the pleasure and privilege of knowing Ken Brody, the founder of this great program.

11:26And I was kind of running the junior program here during that four years. We had some great coaches here, Vesaponka, Frank Salazar, Olivera Clee, and others. And I learned so much during that time here. And when I thought about the next challenge where I left the USTA, I had about six or seven months to think about it. It was really important for me to look for an opportunity to kind of blend my purpose and passion in my next job. And I couldn't think of a better place. And when I think about my career and how I got here, it was because of so many people and programs that gave me opportunities that my family couldn't afford. And that's what we try to do here every day. I'll never forget the first opportunity I got to get really structured training was we used to spend our summers in New York. And my mom found out about this great program at the Port Washington Tennis Academy.

12:26Kind of the last stop on that Long Island Railroad Line. And we heard about John Mackinro and Vita's Gerald Lightis and Mary Carrillo training there. And she took me to tryouts there one summer early. And after the tryouts, they said, hey, congratulations, Martin made the program. Mrs. Blackman, and here's the price sheet. And my mom looked at the price sheet and she said, thank you so much. We had such a good time. Unfortunately, we can't afford the program. But if something changes, we'll be back. And I'll never forget walking down the stairs at Port. And the head coach came down and said, hey, Mrs. Blackman, we spoke to the owner and we're going to get Martin a scholarship. And that changed my life. And then when Nick Bolitary gave me a scholarship to his academy, that changed my life. And then when coach Gould believed in me enough to invite me to play for him at Stanford, that changed my life. And so this is a program where that's what we try to do every day.

13:26So I can't think of a better place to be, to kind of honor what people have done in my life. And it's a privilege to be here really. Now, it's such a remarkable story. That's why I'm so happy to have you on the program today. Because, you know, not only, you talk about what tennis has done for you. And I would definitely want to explore that more. But the history of the JTCC doing exactly that. And people, you know, people know about the Francis Tiafo story. Because we've been fortunate to be able to tell that story more frequently. But people forget about people like Haley Baptist store. You know, Dennis Kudlow, all these different people who came from that the broader DC area, the DMV area. That's what I'm looking for in that. Absolutely. We are so proud of our alum, Dennis Haley, Ionis out there, Fenty's out there doing well. This young man Ryan Colby, and obviously Haley and Francis just lighten it up in Miami. Robin Montgomery will be back out there soon.

14:27And the amazing thing about this place, Alex, is like, when they're here, you know, our problem, even, you know, Francis as well. Like, they know the players, they know the coaches. This is like community. You know, we've got members that have been members here for 25 years since the beginning. And the sense of community and belonging here is so strong. And it really makes it special. You know, when Francis and Haley are playing our full-time kids, if they're all lunch break, they're watching the TV. You know what I mean? It's really cool. No, I'm sure there's like, I'm trying, I was trying, Tiafo territory, where it's like, this part of the building, we're watching Francis, right? Yeah, it's like, yeah, it's the bad-teased balcony, where it's like, all right, this is where we watch Haley. No, I can only imagine how cool that must be. By the way, could look corner. And we've got Dennis back as a high-performance coach, and he's got full circle, you know? No, it's, it's, and that's we're talking about that full circle, because I do want to talk about the JTC's role in the community more broadly,

15:29but I'm curious 17 years later, like, you know, that's a full high school student. What was the biggest difference in your return? Like coming back, what's changed? What's similar? How is just being back at this JTC? Yeah, so massive evolution and growth, I would say the ethos is the same in that we've always kind of had a hybrid philosophy and how and why we do things. And on the front end, it is to make Dennis accessible to every single person in our DMV Prince George's County area. That was always Ken's vision, but the other part of his vision was that we're in the business of developing champions on and off the court. So once players come into our program, it's a meritocracy. You've got to earn every single thing that you get here. Nothing is given to you. And that to me is one of the things that really equips young people for life, the resilience, the earning things, the sacrifice, the commitment,

16:36and the challenge, and that makes it fun. And just understanding that fun and hard work are so connected and not mutually exclusive, that's really what you get here. And the thing that I really love about it and the biggest differences, when I was here, it was a very small adult club and a very small, high-performance junior program. And that was really all it was, that was just the seeds of it. And now coming back 17 years later, we've got probably one of the diverse, most diverse portfolios of tennis pathways anywhere in the country. In our adaptive portfolio, just alone, we've got wheelchair, standing para, acing autism, veterans clinics, special Olympics, activations. We have a program for folks coming back from brain injuries, the 36 red, to help them kind of get back with their motor skills. So you name it. There's a place here for everybody. But we don't value the folks in our ecosystem based on how good they are, how much talent they have.

17:41We see everybody as somebody that we're going to maximize their skills and their talents. No, I absolutely love to hear that. And it's again, why the JTCC's reputation transcends just not just the broader East Coast area, but again, people in the tennis community everywhere have heard and know the JTCC. And that gets to, you kind of talked about making it accessible. I love that idea. And it leads to the broader question. And it's actually this is why I brought up at NAICL earlier, not just to take a stripped down memory lane, which again, I'm not done. You got to see him with a mullet. I'm jealous. I had balding at not nearly as fun. But there was some good mullets back in the day. Carrier had a great one too. Yeah. No, it's, again, I'm sure even Areas was rocking it. Just he was like, let me try this for a little bit. But just you talk about it, I guess what role in your mind? Because you've seen it from every level. And again, the idea of player development isn't just get your forehand better, but developing a better culture for tennis to thrive.

18:44Absolutely. What role can not just the JTCC, but any local tennis club? Like what role do you think it should be playing? Not just in the tennis community, but in the community more broadly for it to be most effective? Sure. So, you know, it sounds maybe a little cliche or sentimental, but our starting point here is that we see ourselves as being in the business of human development. And tennis just happens to be the vehicle. So when that's the approach, I think you see opportunities everywhere to help young people, to help adults, to help seniors, to help folks that maybe are in the adaptive population. But who doesn't want to get better? Right? Who doesn't want to get mentally tougher? Who doesn't want to get more disciplined? Who doesn't want to become a better competitor or problem solver? Right? So that's what we see. And so we start grassroots. We go into the schools. We teach those PD teachers how to deliver the sport.

19:46The kids that get the bug, we get them into the after-school programs also in their local area. And then if they're really falling in love with it, we get them here to JTCC. And that's what we do in every segment of the popular. We do that with adult outreach. We do it with adaptive. And to me, Alex, our role in this entire community is really to be an example of a center of excellence. It could be in any other sport. It could be in any other field performing arts or what have you. But to me, there's no more important kind of role than a coach. When you're having an impact on young people to challenge them and equip them. And we really take that seriously. So if you look at our entire staff, even though we've got managers and accountants and marketing people, everybody, I think, on our team. Sorry about that background noise. No, you're fine. Like everybody on our team, I think, kind of sees themself as some type of coach,

20:47which is really cool. No, that's so off of that then for coaches who are listening to this in their local community. You talk about the educating you try to do for other educators in this sport. What might be, and you don't have to give me the full tip sheet here. Yeah, sure. But what might be some bullet points that in your mind, you've seen, okay, when coaches are coaching or teaching like this, it leads to a healthy, successful relationship with this sport. Great outcomes. Yeah, great outcomes. So I think a couple kind of touch points for coaches in the coaching community is kind of starting with our role. What is our role? Our role, I think, is first and foremost a coach character first. So we're role models, we're character coaches. We want to make sure that the players that we work with know how much we care about them before they care how much we know. And from then it goes to really modeling what you're trying to cultivate in your player.

21:47So we start with non-negotiables. So we have four non-negotiables here. We have engagement, effort, punctuality, and respect. So those are, that's pre-rex, okay? We're not coming to practice late. We're going to be respectful of people's time. And so those are our pre-rex. And then from there it really goes to making sure that you have a plan for every practice. Because if Alex, if you're coming to my court and we've got a two o'clock or you're part of a group or a lesson and you see me with my clipboard at 155 and you know I'm ready for your practice, that makes that gives you a tremendous amount of confidence. So we're big believers in planning and preparation, in customizing practice, but just showing the players that we work with whether it's a private lesson or a group of eight that we have a plan and a purpose for how we're going to make you get better today. And every minute counts. And so my simple kind of advice for coaches would be

22:48make sure you're planning your practices, make sure you're putting the person first, make sure your practices have progressions that make sense, and make sure that they're customized for your players. I'm fired up. I'm ready to hit the court like this sounds like a plan. I know that makes so much sense to me. On the other side of that equation is making the sport fun. For whomever it may be, it doesn't have to be a kid by the way. You mentioned the adults who come into the community or whether it's an adaptive clinic saying, hey, wait, this is something that is such a joy. What are the things you guys do at the JTCC to pursue that? Because to your point, there are so many different groups within the community that are experiencing that joy through the program. How do you guys go about cultivating that? Yeah, great question as well. So I think, again, you've got to give your players ownership. I see kind of the trajectory of a coach with a young player. You're almost trying to work yourself out of a job. So you're not trying to create dependence.

23:49You're actually trying to create independence. So one of the things we try to do here is we try to let the kids plan one of their practices a week. We try to ask a lot of questions when we're coaching instead of dictating to players. A lot of open-ended questions. We make jokes on the court. We have fun on the court. We don't take ourselves too seriously. But I think the thing that really makes it the most fun for the kids is that the volunteerism that we have here, all of our kids volunteer about 30 hours a semester. So they're volunteering in our wheelchair program. They're volunteering with kids that are much younger. They're volunteering maybe with adults that are much older. So all of that connectivity makes for that sense of community to where everybody's rooting for each other. Everybody's cheering for each other. It's not a zero-sum game. You win, I win. We all win if we're getting better. So I think you feel that here.

24:51You feel that energy and that kind of sense of fun. But to me also a big part of what we do that's a little bit more intentional. Is we try to make sure that the level of challenge is always met by the level of support. So if I'm pushing you really hard, you've got to know that you've got the support and the safety. That if you don't make that 12 second 100 meter dash, it's going to be okay, but you're still going to give it 100%. And really try to, so we really try to provide that support, emotional, mental, keep things positive and affirmative here. No, that's first of all now I'm thinking, could I still run 100 and under 12 seconds? I think I could do it. I think I could just sneak by, it'd be a high 11. But I think I could, I think I could still work my way. But no, you talk about that support. And again, the reason we're having this conversation, it's courtesy of our dear friends at Laurel Springs, who I know you guys utilized to support all of your full-time students,

25:51so that they don't miss a beat in their education, as they try to pursue their passion on the court as well. Can you talk to me specifically about that resource? Just again, you know, perhaps no better person is suited to guide a program where that tries to balance tennis and education. I'm speaking to the man who went to Stanford to all of our listeners, the dream for so many different players across the country. How does Laurel Springs help you guys accomplish that mission at the JTCC? Great, yeah. So one of the things early on when we started the school back in 2005, I believe. And I remember talking to our director of coaching, Bessapolka, and he made a statement that stuck with me. We can mess up their forehands and backhands, but we can't mess up their education. That's good. And that really stuck with me. So instead of kind of going for the minimum in the educational part of what we're providing, we went for the maximum.

26:52So best in class, we feel Laurel Springs, the quality of the curriculum, the responsiveness of the teachers, the flexibility of the timelines combined with real-life teachers. So we have two real-life teachers in our classroom, one that specializes in history, social studies, and English, and one that's STEM. In addition, we have a proctor and a tutor for languages. And those kids are getting a real education. And we're really serious about it. You know, if you're falling behind and you're homework and missing deadlines, you're not going to practice. So we always make sure that we know that everyone knows education comes first, tennis comes second, but they should be able to go together. And the partnership with Laurel Springs has really enabled and empowered that. Do you think programs like Laurel Springs, it's a loaded question, so I apologize. Try to frame things better. Not a Stanford man, but a Michigan man. Do you think it is easier to maneuver this pathway now

27:58than it was when you were trying in the late 80s, early 90s? Like what mechanisms in your opinion make it easier for a player to try and pursue a full-time JTC student athlete lifestyle, as opposed to maybe what you had to do during your own experience? Yeah, great question Alex. It is so much, I would say that the option, there's so much optionality, there's so many different choices. So that makes it a little bit, can be challenging for parents, but in terms of coming into a setup where you have a Laurel Springs or you have another kind of an online accredited school, it just gives the kids, it just takes so much stress out of it for the kids and the parents, right? Because when I was at NICS, we had a setup, we went to school from 730 to 1130, right? And then you came back, you had lunch and you practiced from 1 to 5 and you did it again, right? And if you missed a class, you had to make it up, your teacher might be upset, they might not care whether you play tennis

28:59or not, the same thing in college, right? So you have all this pressure of having to kind of balance your tennis and your academics and test and then missing practice because you got a cram with Laurel Springs, the fluidity of the structure just takes a lot of pressure off the kids and when they have to, they can prioritize their education and get ready for that test and take a few days off the court and then when they have to go the other way and really get ready for a big tournament like the Easter Bowl, they can do that as well. So that it's really, really beneficial and it's a great thing. I think we've been with Laurel Springs since day one with our school. No, it's a credit to them, it's a credit to you guys, it just is an easier pathway. I'll never forget my dear friend Max Flegner who ultimately played a Dartmouth, he came and joined our school 10th grade, 11th grade and they were kind of announcing in an assembly like, hey, here's where he's coming from,

30:00he's coming from an online school in Virginia and it was like, that's not right. I was like, that's not what Laurel Springs says and now just to see how much more normalized accepted whatever tournament it's just like, I just feel it is so different and you know, again, you talk about the way you guys emphasize scholarship at the JTC. Talk to me about the student of the year award. How hotly contested is that particular, particular award and just to have that on top of everything else, talk me through it. It really is a cool thing about that award is voted on by the teachers, the coaches and the students. So your peers are weighing in. So they respect you. You've been a great role model. You've given your best on the tennis court and you kind of epitomize kind of the values that we're kind of elevating here at JTC. So it's a really contested award and it carries a lot of weight. And every year, the awardees have been amazing.

31:04Yeah, that's so cool. Between that, I know you guys have your gala as well. Like just what are the things you guys do to celebrate these students? Celebrate. Talk to me more about it because I know how hard you work them. Like what are the things you guys do to make sure? Okay, like we want to acknowledge the work you guys are doing. Absolutely. So I mean, I think it's a great opportunity to kind of talk about our holistic view, right? So with these, one of the things we want to make sure over these kids that we're not overemphasizing tennis, right? There's a lot more to life and the more balanced you are and the less pressure you have, the better you're probably going to compete anyway. So we have book clubs. We have community service trips to feed the homeless. We have community service trips to go to our outreach impact hub sites and deliver tennis to local community and the little kids that there. Our kids, our players choose projects that they want to be a part of

32:06and then again, the volunteerism in our in our programs here. So, you know, it's such a well-rounded experience here. And I think a big part of it too is that the parents are very involved. You know, sometimes in our business, Alex, you know, coaches, you're trying to kind of cut the parents out and we've gone the other way. So for players that are full-time in our program, we have three what we call PDP player development meetings every year. And every full-time player has a coach mentor. And in that meeting, the coach will sit down and they'll talk to the parents first about the child's character, the behavior, how things go in at school. We'll look at the report card and then we'll go into their player development plan for the upcoming three months, for the next three months. And so when we're having those check-ins and we're getting to know the parents, what's important to them, they're backing us up in terms of holding the player accountable. We're backing them up, but we're always putting the player first.

33:08Now, and I think that really helps us when we see when we see something happening where players may be feeling too much pressure or putting too much pressure on themselves, or maybe we're putting too much pressure on them. It's a lot easier for us to catch that quickly because we've got a community around these kids. Yeah, now it's a credit to you guys. And you alluded to this earlier, one of my final few questions here, that trust, that trust between you and parent, you and child at the JTC, parent and child to say, hey, we have a plan here. Just what are some things you guys do to build that trust? You talk about the collaboration. The idea, by the way, of a kid making their own game plan for, hey, here's what I want to practice today. I think that's the coolest thing in the world. Like, I don't know how any coach listening to this doesn't want to do that now. Talk to me about how that trust is built. Yeah, so number one is follow through Alex. You got to do what you're saying you're going to do. You got to keep your promises.

34:08You got to keep your commitments. So that's number one. So we're really, really, we really hold ourselves accountable for that. Number two, I think, is when we're honest, and there are lots of times in this business, when you want to sell, you want to get that next person in paying full tuition, and you sell a dream, that's not really realistic. So we're always honest with players and parents about what we can provide and about the trajectory that there are. Not that we're making limits, but we're not out here selling. Hey, you're going to be top 10 in the world. If you drop 100K here with us, we're not playing that game. And then I think number three is always demonstrating that we're putting the interests of the player first. Yeah, yeah, it's going to that. Oh, sorry, go ahead. No, no, no, but yeah. You know, those things, I think, create a lot of trust Alex

35:10and you've got to earn it. You got to earn it every day. No, it's a threat to you guys. You have gone about earning that trust. And you know, again, it speaks to the program that you guys have built, all of the different successes. We mentioned some of the most notable names, but you have players like Ben Kite and Cyrus McJude. Like so many different players I could turn to. Talk to me about what else is up at the JTCC, and what you guys have cooking for the future. Obviously, again, I know you took over this role in October, so still new to it. But it's a, it's a conquering hero returning home. So it's not an unfamiliar place. What are the things you hope to do to, again, continue the growth that we have seen from the JTCC, this path that has been on for all of the 21st century? Sure, sure, sure. Well, the first thing is learning, learning from the team that's here, learning from the team that has built it from what I knew in 08 to what it is in 2026, and having the respect for how they did it, and going to school and understanding how it was done.

36:12So that's the beginning point. And we have such a strong leadership team, such a strong board. I'd say probably if I were to think about three priorities that I'd want to share broadly, number one would be really looking across all of our programs, and benchmarking. We know we're really good, but our goal is to be the best. And when I say the best, I don't mean the best in terms of look at us. I mean, the best in terms of the impact we can have for American tennis. So that'll be kind of an exercise that we go through for the next couple of months is, we want to know what best in class is for adaptive. What's best in class for club? What are the best high performance? We think we're doing things really well, but we want to learn from the best. And we're not afraid to go out there and see people who are better than us. I'd say number two is we have an opportunity to do a capital expansion. If you're going to learn to my left here,

37:13right behind our last courts, there's a parcel of land, where we're about to start an $18 million capital expansion. That will add 10 more courts in a beautiful clubhouse. That will help us to meet a lot of the unmanned demand that we have. And I would say number three, Alex, is being a force in this region that raises the tide for all the programs. We're not here to dominate. We don't believe in zero-sum games. We want to see every program get better. We're going to learn from them. They're going to learn from us. And we're going to raise the boats for everybody. I'm a big believer in that. So those are the three things, I think, you know? No, I love to hear that. There's the USDA General Manager DNA. Just still lingering. You can't help it sometimes. No, I love that answer. I think that's a really good one. I do want to bring in our friend, Jack Dempsey, from Laurel Springs, here for a second. My last question to you before I do, just because I brought up that USDA.

38:16Any advice for Craig Tyley? Taken up the role? I just, I feel it would be malpractice if I didn't ask that question to you. Perhaps no person who is suited to offer than you. I don't know if Craig needs any advice from me. He is such a great leader. I'm so excited that he's going to be going into that role. I've been a big fan. I know him pretty well, but not we're not close, but just watching him lead in Australia and how progressive he is. You know, first to R&D, first adventure, first to equity, first to building out the tour around the AO, first to the United Cup. I mean, just such an innovative progressive leader. So I'm excited. I think everybody at the USDA should be excited too. No, absolutely. It was again, some serious, the job you guys have done, the place that you get. He's a serious guy. Alex, he does things for the right reasons. No, I love to hear that. Well, again, speaking of serious people, thrilled to join, thrilled to welcome onto our interview here to help us for the home

39:16stretch. Our dear friend, Jack Dempsey, of course, from the Laurel Springs School. Jack, first of all, always great to see your smiling face apologies. We didn't add you earlier, my friend, but we have been, you'll listen back to the first 30 minutes. You'll hear a lot of praise for you guys and the team at Laurel Springs. Laurel Springs. Yes, happy to hear how you're doing, my friend. Yeah, how you doing, my friend? No, it's an honor to be with two amazing partners of Laurel Springs, but also people that I respect tremendously. And I'm just glad to be with you guys today. No, we're happy to have you. And, you know, again, I've been asking Martin about the value of that Laurel Springs partnership and just how it allows the students to thrive. Curious what it means to you guys to be able to have a partner as respected and established in the attendance community as the JTCC, how it helps you all and what it means. Well, you know, I come from a place of gratitude for the entire partnership. Historically, you know, it really goes back 25 years. Yeah. I'm really honored to have been a part of the relationships with students

40:20and Mark Santangelo at JTCC, you know, Peter Lee, all of the supporting cast of students for nine years now. And so, you know, the second student that I had ever enrolled in Laurel Springs going back to 2017 was the JTCC students. So for me, you know, this is passion work for me. And I just want to be, you know, a front and center when JTCC needs something that's impactful for students. Anything that complements their program, we're on board for. And we look forward to a bright future. I mean, a lot of historic outcomes, you know, between our organizations, but, you know, we're looking to raise the bar every year and we're on board for all of it. No, I love it. Alex, let me just add one thing in terms of our partnership is that the evolution of our school and our academic director, Mark Santangelo is amazing. We also have Julia as a teacher in that in that school. But the evolution being able to work together

41:20with Jack and Laurel Springs to evolve our school program to make it stronger and stronger is a massive reason why we highlight that $26 million in college scholarships and the 98% college matriculation rate we have. It wouldn't be so without our partnership with Laurel Springs. Yeah, no, it's wonderful to hear that. And I know we talked about this a little bit earlier, earlier as well, Martin, but just to have a partner, again, who can respond to the times? Like, it just feels like everyone I talk to about Laurel Springs and their experience, the individualized nature of it, the fact that they have that resource available to you as someone who, again, had to figure out his own schooling back in the day and make sure you weren't missing anything. What sort of resource does that provide to the students at the JTCC? How do you guys go about, you know, utilizing it to the its fullest potential? It's my, I'll give one example and then, Jack, I'm sure you've got plenty, but to me, one of the most tangible and practical examples

42:22would be when we're making a tournament schedule for a player, right? There is an optimal tournament schedule, universe, basically, based on their age and stage and momentum, what surface they want to play on. And if you don't design that schedule for them, you're disadvantaged them. And the benefit we have is we can design the best possible tournament schedule for your spring, Alex. And then we can go to Jack and Laurel Springs and make it work academically, because it could be that two of those weeks you're going to be in South America. And your Wi-Fi is not going to be good. And this and that. But in our relationship, we can make that work so seamlessly that these kids are not missing a beat. And the flexibility that Laurel Springs gives us to do that is massive. No, I'm curious on the other side, Jack, again, being able to work with, look, I'll just say it, so that neither of you two have to.

43:22Tennis players can be tough. Like we live, we barge the beat of our own drum. We kind of live in our own worlds as you have to. You got to, you know, you're not believing in yourself. No one will. That's right, you got to have a little bit of swag. That's right. I'm going to frame it like that, move it forward as well. I agree. You got to have a little bit of swag. How does accommodating for the tennis player experience just help Laurel Springs more broadly enhance the academic experience they can create for anyone? Well, I mean, frankly, irregardless of sport, clearly we have a large tennis, you know, grouping at Laurel Springs, that that segment at Laurel Springs is alive and well across the board. But in my mind, when I think of what, you know, a Laurel Springs, if I had to create a Laurel Springs campus, JTCC would be the model that I would see as the most advantageous format. And so to compliment that format, that's a really big deal. I mean, at the core of all of this,

44:24parents, players, Martin, JTCC, there's this acknowledgement that students or in families are looking for more of a lifestyle by their own design, so that they can actually win in academics. They can win on the court. They can put in the strength and conditioning time without having to show up to chemistry at 11 a.m., right? So any way that we can compliment what's going on, and to your point of travel, that's a really big deal. And it's this like pressure cooker feeling that students have without our systems working together. And when kids are in the JTCC system, and they have Laurel Springs to back them up, and you know, kind of rise to the occasion to meet them where they're at and their journey, it's a massive stress release, so they can be the best versions of themselves. And their parents have peace of mind, knowing that they have two amazing entities that have really collaborated to ensure that they,

45:27of course, the outcomes, we have amazing outcomes academically. But there's also this beautiful community vibe at JTCC that it's really second to none. You know, when I go to on tour just about everywhere in the summertime, I usually stop by two or three times a year, and I feel like I'm coming home myself to Laurel Springs campus. And the students, they feel it too, and we're really proud to support them. In any way, we can. I try to send them gifts and backpacks just about anything I can do to make sure that they understand the role that we play and how much we care so deeply about the outcomes for them. Upcoming with the graduation at JTCC, Will Brown, who's a dedicated college counselor, will be in attendance from Laurel Springs at graduation, as Will Bridger-Rickowski, who's on our partnerships team, that handles the logistics and the transcripts

46:30and all the things it takes to relate to the counselors, you know, new students and existing students. But we'll have a presence there on site at graduation. And then of course, at the upcoming Gala, we're really honored to sponsor the Gala. And thank you so much for that, Jack. Thank you so much. I love hearing what you said about us being kind of a bit of a poster child for you guys. The one thing I didn't say before, which I think also makes our academic setup so unique is because we have the two real teachers in Mark and Julia, they get to communicate with your teachers. And it's almost like it just personalizes everything. So one of the things that I pick up and when I go into the school is when the kids are talking about the Laurel Springs teachers, they're talking about them by name. They're talking about them like they know them. And that connectivity is so important because it's not just a face on the computer screen.

47:31It's a person who's really kind of enabling your journey as a student athlete. And they're on your side and we love that. No, no, no, go ahead. The teachers get it and you know, it's, I think it's really helped us as a school to better understand the needs of college-bound student athletes. Irregardless of sport, especially tennis in this case. That's right. Because there's such a well-oiled machine at JTCC. And you know, by de facto, we're able to actually structure partnerships in other athletic realms by saying, look, there's a model for this that is wholesome, decent, the right way to do it. And you're going to get the outcomes that you're seeking when you buy into a real partnership. Not just a banner ad or some kind of sponsorship situation, but a genuine partnership with mutually-shared outcomes. And nothing pleases me more. I'll add to your statistic, Martin, for the 98% success.

48:37I was kind of combing through our files as well here at Laurel Springs. And out of that 98% to college, 86% went to one of their top three school destinations. Oh, I love that. What a great step. And so that, to me, that's us really caring about what the student wants, just as much as what you want or I want or anyone else wants. It's really the outcome that the student is desiring. We're carving that pathway to make sure that your athletes end up at the destination that they are looking for. And so it's over pretty close to 200 students over the past 25 years have shared time with both of our organizations. So that's a powerful step. I love that one. No, it's wonderful. And get my final question for you, Martin, because we talked about building the trust,

49:40the communication with kids, with parents, every aspect of this experience. I'm curious, what percentage of the questions you get are about academic versus tennis for the full-time students and how having a partner like Laurel Springs helps bring that certainty, that clarity. I think the phrase you used earlier was a lack of stress. Like they're just not stressing about it accordingly. In what way does this partnership help make that possible? Great question. So I'll kind of take you into a scenario where we're sitting down. We're talking with parents of a player they're thinking about coming into the full-time program. They just had a really good week of training and they're kind of looking ahead to the next academic year. Typically what happens is after we kind of get through the basics of what the training is because they've been a part of it, the decision hinges on the education. That's where the decision is. So when we're able to say, when we're able to show the track record

50:40that we have, the Jack reference with Laurel Springs, the placement, the quality of school, the academic support, the GPAs, the acceptance of established universities to accept Laurel Springs because they believe in the curriculum. Once we get to that, then it makes it so much easier to have that conversation. Doesn't mean that they always say yes, but it means that we can offer them a world-class educational option. And that's what we want. We want to give them the best in academics and the best in tennis. No, I love that. And again, it's a credit to what you guys have built Jack at Laurel Springs that so many continue to turn to that. My final question for you, Jack, is again, when you see, just because I don't know how frequently you and Martin talk, how frequently people get to hear it from you directly, but this is why I always want to ask, to see people like Francis and all these people who they still would, if their Laurel Springs

51:41teacher was in the crowd, they would probably say, oh, hey, it's Mary from seventh grade history. Like, what does that mean to your side, to be able to be the mechanism by which all of these people are able to pursue their dreams? It's why I get out of bed every morning and we're in the there's a lot of things we could all do with our lives, but these are those are the moments that mean the world to me and it means the world to Laurel Springs that we share that common bond between students and teachers and players. And we're going to be announcing the JTCC student of the year award at the Gala and alumni as well. And I'll speak to some, you know, when I'm on campus and I see someone like a Cyrus Majub who went on from Laurel Springs, highly academic student, went to the University of Georgia, and then goes to Northwestern, which we all know is a very difficult school. And I see his face and it's all, you know, high fives

52:49and you know, there's a relationship there between him Laurel Springs and JTCC and he gets it. And when the students get it and they have that gratitude for both of our systems working together, I know the parents certainly get it because the outcomes have proven themselves. So, but that's an example of one of those students that I see very frequently and you know, trying to make sure I even get them on with you, Alex, for the Laurel Springs alumni podcast, I had, you know, Cyrus on and he said great things of course about JTCC and Laurel Springs, but you know, it's just nice when we can, you know, inspire the next round of students that might be in fourth or fifth grade or maybe they're doing little Mo right now. They're about to start hitting different levels and it's nice that, you know, we have a home to refer them to and it's nice that we can nurture them when they get there. I love what's there. Hey Alex, I'm going to leave you if I can a two quick two minute anecdote on a young man who came through

53:53the school and benefited from Laurel Springs and the program. I was on a fundraising trip a couple weeks ago and my first day in New York, I had breakfast with this young man. He's probably about 28 now. I won't embarrass him by meshing his name, but he's a principal at a hedge fund. He's doing very well and he told me that JTCC changes life. He said, look, I was a soft spoiled kid and I wasn't very tough. I wasn't a great competitor, not a great problem solver. I had two years there with great coaches, Vessa, Frank, Misha. One year I stayed with Francis. We're in the same room and we, you know, we toughed it out and he told me he said, I would, he said, coming out of college, I went through an 18 month Morgan Stanley training program for investment backing and there's no way I would have made it through that program without JTCC and just hearing that from him and then him turning around at the end of that breakfast and writing us a check

54:57for 20k. That to me is what it's about, right? And unprompted, unprompted, right? Because he wants to give back. He knows what the program did and he's a type of young man that has the values that we want to cultivate and that that's what we're doing. That's what makes our day. That's the coolest story to end on and that's exactly where we need to end well done. Yeah, by the way, I know that's not Luca Korantelli. As I can say, if it's him, you can name up, but no, Luca would never know. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, he's added another zero, Luca. No, you guys are the best. I really appreciate you each taking the time. Obviously, again, Jack Dempsey, our friend from the little Springs, Martin Blackman, CEO of the JTCC, gentlemen, thank you both for taking the time. Always a pleasure. Thanks, Alex. A pleasure. Thanks, Jack. Thank you, sir. Hope all of you enjoyed my conversation with JTCC, CEO, Martin Blackman, and Laurel Springs

56:00partnership specialist, Jack Dempsey. Again, the work, each of those two men to ensure so many different student athletes within our tennis community have the opportunity to thrive at the highest levels to pursue their passion for this sport to the utmost degree. It's why it was such a joy when I learned that we were going to have the opportunity to speak with each of them on the show today. It's why I hope to have each of them on the show more moving forward. I left so much meat on the bone in terms of what I could have asked Martin. Obviously, again, he was the general manager for player development at the U.S.T. and we now see the fruits of his efforts with the success we see across both men's women's tennis right now in the professional junior collegiate tennis world. Pick your spot. Tennis isn't a healthier place because of the efforts of Martin Blackman. So I thank you to him for joining the podcast. Hopefully we'll have him out again. I thank you to Jack who's always just such a delight whenever we have him on the show and we're obviously immensely grateful for the sport we get from our friends at the Laurel Springs School. By the way, to learn more about why they continue to rank amongst the top private online schooling options, not just

57:00in the country, but on the globe. Make sure to visit their website LaurelSprings.com. Today, perhaps you'll learn better grammar than I learned in my experience as I butcher that through our friends at Laurel Springs who, again, best in the business. That is what they do learn more about them by visiting LaurelSprings.com today. Oh, by the way, we're rocking and rolling across every podcast platform. This one, the mini break podcast, the great shout podcast feed. We've got broadcasts every weekend on our crack rackets YouTube channel. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss out on any of our coverage of the entire tennis world moving forward. Of course, I shout out and thank you as always to the tireless efforts of our super producer, Daniel West, afford the sh** of an job he does day in, day out making all of our content possible. With that said, for our fantastic guests, JTCC CEO Martin Blackman and LaurelSprings Partnership Specialist Jack Dempsey for our super producer, Daniel West off our friends at the LaurelSprings school from all of us here. At both crack rackets and the belief podcast network on your host Alex Gruskin, you've been listening to another edition of the Cracked Interviews podcast. Stay safe, stay healthy, we'll talk to you all soon.

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