Rene Carmichael, a San Diego native, lives in Rancho Bernardo with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not on the court or captaining a team, she manages communications for the city of Poway. She has a background in Public Relations and has worked for the American Red Cross, the County of San Diego, and did part-time consulting when her children were younger.

Rene began her tennis journey “late” compared to many other Southern California natives, starting in her teens just before high school. Although she did not make it off the junior varsity squad during the two years she played in high school, she developed a love for the game instantly. She thanks her younger sister, who played tennis at USC and then became a teaching pro, for pushing her back out on the court in her late 20s and encouraging her to continue working on her game.

Fast forward to today, Rene lives in the same community she grew up in and plays on the courts she learned to play on, but now, she has a leadership role in the sport. She first took on captaining a team in 2019 and has pretty much captained at least one team a season since. And yes, even with a full-time job and three kids, she has been known to take on multiple teams a season. Rene exclaimed that she never wants to lose the joy of being able to escape from everyday realities to be on the court, and never wants to take that for granted. She currently plays for two clubs including Rancho Bernardo Community Tennis Club (RBCTC) and Rancho Bernardo Swim & Tennis Club (RBSTC), which she captains.

Rene has been recognized for her positive mindset and great sportsmanship on and off the court. She acts with respect, courtesy, and grace during matches, and is constantly demonstrating her willingness to collaborate with other captains to ensure matches are played fairly. Rene loves building teams, connecting people, and giving them a chance to have a great tennis experience like she has. She continues to demonstrate amazing leadership and exemplary sportsmanship. San Diego District Tennis Association recently named her the 2022 Women’s Sportsmanship award winner.

When asked why she loves being a captain, Rene stated, “Being a captain is definitely a lot of work. But it’s also probably the easiest way to create stronger connections with teammates, other captains, and players on other teams as well. I love bringing people together on a team, cheering their success, and figuring out a way to give as many teammates as possible an opportunity to have great matches – both competitive and fun.”

Her best tip when it comes to being a captain is being transparent and making sure everyone is on the same page: “Is this team about moving on to sectionals? Or is it about giving everyone an opportunity grow? Or maybe somewhere in between? Make sure that whatever path you take, everyone knows what you are working toward. Being transparent is also about keeping everyone in the loop as to what your future schedule might hold, as well as communicating with them if you need to make a change.”

With more than four years of experience as a captain of multiple teams, Rene says that her best tip when it comes to being a captain is being transparent and making sure everyone is on the same page: “Is this team about moving on to Sectionals? Or is it about giving everyone an opportunity grow? Or maybe somewhere in between? Make sure that whatever path you take, everyone knows what you are working toward. Being transparent is also about keeping everyone in the loop as to what your future schedule might hold, as well as communicating with them if you need to make a change.”

If she could give one piece of advice to new captains it would be that there is no one way to captain a team. Rene explained, “Don’t feel like you need to do things exactly the same way as the captain before you. Figure out what works for you, but here are two things to consider. First, little things like a text or email before a match to cheer on the players in the line-up, or after the match with the scores, go a long way to make everyone feel connected – especially if your players don’t regularly see one another. Second – Google Sheets. I’m an addict. Organizing teams on Google Sheets and having the app on my phone gives me the flexibility to answer a question about an upcoming match (or a change in availability) pretty much anywhere, any time.”