Tennis Can Change Your Life

Tennis gives friendships, health, and second chapters. Hear Michele Krause's most memorable moments. Listen today. What has tennis given you?

Tennis doesn’t have to feel exclusive or overly serious to be a real workout. In our episode (National Hit to be Fit Weekend) Michele shares the vision behind National Hit To Be Fit Weekend (May 15 to 17), a nationwide celebration that pairs National Tennis Month with a simple idea: make the court feel like a party and make it easy for anyone to say yes. Think music under the lights, big group energy, and a format that welcomes the person who has never played alongside the 4.0 who wants a sweat.

For more information on all things Cardio Tennis and National Hit to be Fit Weekend visit: http://Linktr.ee/cardiotennis

Register to host a Hit to be Fit event at: www.cardiotennisinstructor.com 

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Transcript

Welcome And Series Context

Carolyn 0:08

Hi, this is Carolyn and I'm here with Erin. And this is our final episode with Michele Krause. People refer to Michele as the cardio tennis guru. And in our first episode, we discuss National Hit to Be Fit weekend, and we hope everyone participates. And if you do, let us know. And in the second episode, she tells us why everyone should be taking advantage of the red, orange, and green ball. But in this episode, she tells us a little bit about her experience at Indian Wells and her most memorable moment on the court. So here it is. Okay, Michele, I have to ask you about Indian Wells. You just got back. Tell us all about it. I've never been there. It's on my bucket list. Okay. I want to go. Okay. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience?

Indian Wells Camp And Adult Beginners

Michele 0:50

Yeah. Well, you definitely to try to, you know, get there at some point because it, because it is incredible. I was actually helping Gigi Fernandez with her adult tennis camp, which I work with Gigi, you know, for a number of years and do various camps with her. Each camp session is 12 athletes. So I was there for camps one and two. And like as we were talking earlier, like a lot of the those two groups of campers happen to be all female. A lot of times it's mixed. It just so happened that this was mostly the all gals. And it the amount of the gals that told me that they started playing tennis when they were 30, 40, 50 years old, okay, this is made up a bulk, okay, of those two groups, right? And I love that. And going back to your point, it's like you can start this sport at at any time. And if you can get exposed to it with red and orange and green balls initially, your experience and you're probably jumping in and committing to it is going to be better.

Carolyn 1:58

Yeah, for the GG camp, are you doing cardio tennis? Are you doing triples?

Michele 2:02

Yeah, we we well, there'll be little tiny pieces. Like um, I will often warm the campers up, uh, cardio tennis style. And then usually we'll have some opportunities to get in a little bit of triples. Her agenda is pretty, it's very structured as it should be. Um, and again, it's it's a format that works well, and there's a lot to learn from her methodology from you know, from a strategy and tactical standpoint. So we Yeah, she has the Gigi method.

Carolyn 2:32

Yeah, I've taken the online GG method and another one. I want to take it in person too. Yeah.

Erin 2:38

Another bucket list. Gigi was one of our, well, maybe not one of our first, but she was really early on in our podcast.

Carolyn 2:45

Yeah, yeah.

Erin 2:46

And she's excellent. Yeah, she was so, I mean, she's just so down to earth, you know. I mean, we were like, oh my god, it's Gigi Fernandez, you know, we were freaking out. And she was just like, we'll just gonna sit and talk. So I do have a Gigi question for you though, sure specifically. I hope she listens to this.

Michele 3:02

I'm gonna tell her to listen.

Erin 3:03

How does Gigi Fernandez feel about adults playing with a red ball or a yellow ball?

Michele 3:09

She does understand the value of that.

Erin 3:13

Okay. Because, you know, there's people in different camps, depending on like she started, you know, I'm sure as a baby. I mean, she's how one, how many slams? 17. 17? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I've heard, you know, from different people. I think, you know, nowadays we know if you can get in and have fun. I mean, it's with kids too. If you can introduce them and they have fun and they're not stressed, you know, they'll stay in the sport longer. Correct. And so sometimes that means hitting with a different ball. I have also heard people that have started as a kid when those balls didn't exist and they're like, you should learn to hit with the green ball immediately or the yellow ball, whatever you want to call it, immediately. But so that's why I wanted to ask the Gigi question. Yeah.

Michele 3:48

So she she she's very she's smart and savvy, and she understands the value that those balls um can provide um to any, to any age. Um, now, when we are in adult camp though, um, that is that is yellow ball, rightly so. I mean, and it there's it again, it's it's a it's strategy and tactical and um um but yeah, she she she is.

Erin 4:17

She's a fan. Yeah, okay, good. Yes. Well, she also doesn't have people coming to her camp that are like had never, you know, never played league or never hit a ball. They're there because they want to improve their tennis. So they're already experienced in hitting that ball. But yes, they could do yes. Another bucket list, Carol. Another bucket list.

Carolyn 4:35

It is, it is. G Gigi's at the top, to be honest for me.

Erin 4:39

It's like Gigi, Indian Wells. Or how about Gigi at Indian Wells?

Carolyn 4:43

You gotta do next year. That's a good thing. Okay, next year.

Michele 4:46

Think about that for next year, okay? Because her camps sell out immediately at Indian Wells. Okay. Because then you get to go watch the tennis afterwards. Yeah, yeah. Okay.

Carolyn 4:56

I may take this part out so other people don't exactly. Or leave it in. We're promoting Gigi as well.

Michele 5:03

Um, but yeah, she's um, you know, her camps are so popular. She has so many repeat customers, and you know, it is very special to be in the presence of somebody of that level of accomplishment, right? Like 17 grand slam doubles titles and two gold medals. I mean, but she's so welcoming too.

Erin 5:25

She's just so down-to-earth.

Carolyn 5:27

Yes, somebody at that level teaching adults.

Erin 5:29

Yeah.

Carolyn 5:30

You know, like she knows how to teach us to move, understanding like we're not as fast as we used to be. Some of us can't move very well, but here's a strategy for that.

Tennis For Hope And Disaster Relief

Michele 5:40

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. What was probably the highlight for me of the week was uh, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Gigi Fernandez has a uh a tennis foundation called Tennis for Hope. So she had her inaugural founding member event um at La Quinta Resort. So La Quinta Resort is pretty iconic, it's beautiful, it's amazing. Um, really great event with the Bryan Brothers. They were the, they were like the marquee. Um, of course, Gigi is the marquee. Pam Schreiber was there. Some of the members got to play a tiebreaker again, or with with the Bryan brothers. And and then, yeah, and we had like 50, there were probably 50 to 70 people there, and all the other athletes. Well, we were playing doubles and cardio triples, and then there was a beautiful dinner on the lawn at the stadium courts, and then um the Brian Brothers band played. Yeah, and then uh Gigi and Pam, there was a silent auction, and Pam Shriver was the auctioneer, and she did an incredible job. As I don't know if she has experience in there, but she she was amazing. And um some amazing prizes were uh auctioned off, and a lot of money was raised to help tennis facilities that have been struck by natural disaster.

Erin 7:09

So did she start that? I think she started that after um one of the Florida events, right? She was actually out of her home for a while.

Michele 7:17

Yeah, so her house was more or less destroyed um in hurricane season 04, uh 2024. Um, I've lost my house to a hurricane. My house was condemned. So back in 2005, I my my house was literally condemned. It had the notice of condemnation uh sign on it. So she's done some amazing things. She's uh she's uh raised a lot of money for Palisades. Uh we actually went to uh Altadena and Palisades while we were there. We did uh Pam Shriver and Gigi did a clinic for kids in Altadena for kids they lost their school during the fire. Um, so a lot of good people are you know donating money so that we can fix or rebuild um these facilities, such and and continue to have tennis. So yeah, that was the highlight.

Carolyn 8:07

That was the highlight of my Yeah.

Michele 8:09

That doesn't, that week didn't suck.

Carolyn 8:11

Yeah, yeah. And what a way to use tennis.

Erin 8:13

I was gonna say, yeah, use the sport we love and raise money for these great causes. So yeah, it's it's a that's a bonus.

Michele 8:20

Gigi and I have a lot of fun together. So when I have the opportunities, um, if I'm invited, um, you know, it's always a special, it's always a special experience. So that's an automatic yes. Yeah.

Carolyn 8:32

Tell her we're coming. Okay. Michele. Okay, well, Carolyn and Erin are on their way. Michele, last time you were on, you mentioned your most memorable moment was what we were talking about it before. Like you got to meet the pope.

Memorable Moments And Tennis Gratitude

Erin 8:45

Yeah. Yes. I know, and I was thinking, and I want to hear your most memorable story, but I was thinking, I wonder if the new Pope would be, because he's an American. I wonder if he's a tennis player.

Michele 8:54

You know, I think you need to put on your bucket list to get back to So the Pope um happens to be from um the South Side of Chicago, which is where I was born and raised. And a lot of, and I went to Catholic high school on the South Side. So a lot of my Catholic high school friends have ties to him, like through, like, okay, you know, my sister's brother knows, you know, that that sort of thing. And I and I think he might be a tennis player. So he met Sinner, remember?

Erin 9:28

That was like the big running joke that Sinner went to meet the Pope, which I think everybody thought was very funny. That was like a meme, like that wrote itself. Right.

Michele 9:37

I've been talking a lot with my Italian friends to get me out of it out to Italy this year. So we'll I'm gonna work it. I'm gonna work it. Love it. Love it. Yeah, I do too.

Carolyn 9:47

But uh, have you had a most memorable moment since then? That's hard to top that, but what would you say?

Michele 9:53

Yes. Um, I I I've had another uh incredible. It's it's not really on the like I don't feel like these things are they're related to tennis, of course. They happen because of tennis, but they're not on the tennis court. Okay. Um but since I last chatted with you, um I was able to uh I was invited to go to one of Gigi's camps um in the British Virgin Islands. Uh-huh. Okay, which is lovely. I mean, going to um so lovely, lovely location. So that was a you know, wow, you know, what a great place to go to. Well, it got even better because it's it worked out that um we took a private jet there. Yeah. Again, that doesn't suck.

Erin 10:40

That's pretty nice. Yeah, but how do you go back from there? I know it's like welcome to commercial airline again.

Michele 10:47

It was so like, you know, you say it would like, okay, this is in the top five greatest moments of my life, right? And the the plane was just gorgeous, and the um, you know, it was like six of us gals, and the people were just everybody was lovely, and you know, you're there and back, and you know, you're just flying around the Caribbean, and and you're like, Yeah, you gotta there's commercial. So exactly.

Erin 11:13

I love that. I had a friend recently say we had gone to States and it was a really good group. And she said to me after we got home, that was the best weekend of my life.

Michele 11:23

Yeah.

Erin 11:23

She literally used those words. And I said, Um, you're married and you have two children. Are you sure you don't want to restate that? And she goes, Okay. In the tennis world, right? It was the best weekend of my life. Yeah. So I get it.

Michele 11:35

But I think, I mean, I think we all agree. If you talk to like we all know all the blessings that tennis has have get have have given us, right? Whether it's, you know, our friendship, sometimes our best friends, sometimes our significant others, right? The people that we get to meet, the places that we get to go. I mean, it's, you know, tennis, uh, it it's given us our health, right? I mean, like, it's it's, you know, for me personally, it's given me everything. So I'm very grateful.

Carolyn 12:04

We greatly appreciate Michele coming on the podcast. We've included links in our show notes where you can learn more about National Hit to Be Fit weekend. Thanks so much for listening and hope to see you on the court soon.