Alwyn Musumeci, from the Baseline Tennis Coaching Academy in Cairns, is passionate about helping others achieve their on-court dreams.
Cairns, Queensland, 8 May 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Whether he is working as a coach or a tournament director, it’s fair to say Alwyn Musumeci’s weekends look different to many other 20-year-olds.
Musumeci is a full-time coach at the Baseline Tennis Coaching Academy, which operates across four clubs in Cairns, and is the local Junior Development Series (JDS) co-ordinator for the region.
“It’s pretty full on,” Musumeci said of his demanding schedule. “I’m usually on court coaching six days a week, doing 35-40 hours. But that doesn’t include JDS tournaments close to every weekend, as well as any other external things such as workshops or courses.”
However, Musumeci, who turns 21 later this month, wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I started coaching three-to-five hours a week and that developed into a part-time role during my final years of high school,” Musumeci said.
“Since finishing school in 2020, I’ve gone full-time and been fully invested. I love it.”
The driven young leader has already completed several coaching qualifications, as well as a tournament director course.
He demonstrated his dedication again last month, taking time out from his work commitments to travel down to Brisbane for a Level 2 Club Professional coaching course.
His inspiration to pursue a coaching career is to “help those that want to work hard and chase their dreams”.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be a top athlete, so I wanted to dive into helping others dream big,” he said.
It is a pathway he is finding “so rewarding”.
“For me, looking back over the past four or five years of coaching, it’s great when you can see how much the kids in the program have developed over that time,” Musumeci said.
“It’s so rewarding to think you’ve almost made that player. You can see what you’ve done with them.
“They might still have a long way to go, but seeing that progress is massive for me.”
He has encountered some challenges though, especially considering his young age.
“The younger guys love that I am younger, so I connect with them really well,” he said.
“But the older players, they don’t always want to learn from a 20-year-old kid. That’s the biggest challenge I’m finding.”
Determined to overcome this, Musumeci is investing time into strengthening…
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