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Key Biscayne Stories will showcase the people, history, and magic that make this beautiful village a paradise and a great place to live. The KB Stories Podcast is exclusive for residents and for all those who love Key Biscayne.
Welcome to Key Biscayne Stories where neighbors meet neighbors. Today, we're gonna get to know Cemma. He is the program the Paddle program director at the Ritz Carlton here in the Key. We're gonna get to know a little bit of his background, the programming, the future of Paddle, and a couple of other things. Shema, welcome on the show.
Alejandro:Thank you for joining us. How are you?
Txema:Thank you very much, Alejandra. It's my pleasure to be here. Very excited.
Alejandro:So let's dive right in. Let's get to know a little bit about your background. Where are you from?
Txema:Well, I'm from Spain, actually from a very small territory at the South. It's called the Canary Islands where I was born and raised all my life until I start playing tournaments. And I had to travel a lot to Mainland Spain and and then go back and forth. And, yeah, then thanks to my tennis career in the past, I was able to obtain a tennis scholarship to do my business degree in Rochester, Upstate New York for four years. And then right away, I I went straight to South Florida to Boca Raton to get my master's degree at Linden University where I graduated with an MBA here with a minor in entrepreneurial management and also a small focus on sports.
Txema:So, yeah, all my life has has been very related to to sports somehow, especially with rocket sports. But let me tell you, PADA was created, not not many people know, in Mexico. Mexico was a country that actually created the sport and definitely was Argentina and Spain, the ones that promoted the most.
Alejandro:When we were brainstorming a little bit and getting to know each other before the show, you mentioned that you always had a racket in your hand. Mhmm. Right? So how did how did that start? How did that first racket ended up
Txema:in your hands? Oh, well, that's that wasn't my decision. Let me tell you. That was actually my parents' decision. I started playing tennis when I was four years old and since then I actually have never never stopped.
Txema:It was just one year that I was actually getting ready for my SAT and TOEFL exams that they were like two main requirement exams to be able to qualify to come to a university in The US. But besides that, I have always played. After from ten till yeah. From ten till seventeen, I was playing high performance and being ranked in Spain. And then when I came to The US, I was actually playing my best level.
Txema:I was able to to make it to nationals and actually make good good results here in the country. So, yeah, I guess it became my passion naturally. At some point when I was 12, I was actually playing soccer and and tennis. And my dad told me, okay, now it's time to take a decision. You're older enough to he definitely influenced a little bit of my decision.
Txema:Yeah. Because I was actually better a better tennis player than a soccer player. But, yeah, that life took me this way to kind of develop as as even personal as a person to to keep playing on a very individual sport and not a collective sport. That for sure that that has given me, like, many strengths in life. But I definitely are a team team guy.
Txema:I love play I love practicing sports with people. I love business with people. I love people in general. But having like developed myself as a professional in the in the tennis and the racket sport industry, playing by myself has definitely helped me a lot. But right now with paddle, it's amazing because I am always playing with somebody, so
Alejandro:At 12 years old, your dad made you choose between soccer and tennis at the time. Correct. Right? And obviously, we're here because we're talking about pedal and tennis. So how how did that decision come about?
Txema:Well, high school start to get a little more demanded than than when I was actually younger. My dad always warned me or or or encouraged me to to keep an eye at studies because, yeah, there's something that it was actually very important for me at that time and actually for for everybody. So we never gave up studies and we actually were able as a family to combine both things, professional and discipline conduct. So, yeah, after twelve, I I picked tennis full time and I start actually to I got invited to a high performance tennis academy with another group of three guys and we were actually playing practicing every day from Monday to Sunday. And we had the privilege of got some sponsors that were able to support us to to make trips internationally.
Txema:And then when I was 16, 17 was when I was start when I when I start to to prepare for all my SAT exams in order to come here to US. And it was at the age of 18 that I made the the first touchdown here in America in The US coming to a university which is called Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester Upstate New York where I was actually playing within a very international tennis team where people with guys from all over the world. And that was amazing. Also, like, feel I felt that was a very, like, rich experience for me to kind of open my mind also like being able to combine studies, my business passion also with my tennis passion, have them both together and I've been able to to learn at the same time I was I was playing. It was definitely a sacrifice because of course I I I didn't live the life of any other former student in New York City with with with no type of limitations, but but it was amazing at the same time.
Txema:I I have great memories playing with my teammates, traveling all over in the Northeast Coast, and that was cool. Especially because after my sophomore years I became tennis captain on my tennis team. And that was actually pretty, pretty amazing to lead a team of twelve, thirteen guys that we were at that time and kind of leading the example of taking the van 5AM in the morning, going to indoor facilities. It was so it was snowing so much. But, yeah, I think that all these memories, all these experiences made me grow as a person, also professionally, and kind of getting the respect from the professors, also from the coach, from everything, from everybody involved.
Txema:That was that was definitely a good experience to me. I also kind of belonged to the SAAC, which is like an institution that unifies leaders from sports of every university to kind of make the NCAA like a better place to be for for athletes. So I kind of involved in everything that had had to relate to sports. So all my life has been all over and I'm very related to business and sports or sports or business, first and second, second and first. And then unfortunately, once I graduated in 2018 with my business degree, I went straight away to Boca Raton to get my masters.
Txema:Unfortunately, I wasn't able to to get the fifth year of NCAA eligibility because at that time they were just four years that I already accomplished on my on my bachelor's degree. So I just did my my master's without playing tennis, but I was actually assisting the tennis program over here. And then at the same time, I was giving tennis private lessons and paddle private lessons. But, yeah, master's just took me one year and that's when I fell in love with Florida. And I was like, wow, I need to come back somehow.
Txema:Once I graduated, I for family reasons, I had to come back to Spain, and I remained in Spain for four years. Was an entrepreneur and I created my my own projects. Some of them were in the sport industry, some others were not. And then after four years, I kind of regretted to come back to Spain and kind of missed so much The US. And and I would say, well, I should find an opportunity to come back as a tiny as a paddle professional director or coordinator at the Ritz Carlton.
Txema:And when I when that opportunity came up to my to the table, I I was so excited and I never doubted twice. So since then, since the past December, I'm here. I've been a happy person, growing again, feeling like I got at home with this culture, with the people, with the mindset of them, of American people. And I couldn't feel I couldn't feel more blessed of arriving in such a beautiful community of Kiwisken, which I didn't know because at that time I was doing my masters in Boca Raton, which was an amazing place also. But this sense of community and and the and the quality of people that are that live here in the island, I have never experienced, never seen in South Florida so far.
Txema:For sure there are other beautiful places. But the way I have felt so welcome by the people here, it's it's just unpayable and priceless for me. And that that's that is making my my stay like a better place to especially being away from home, being away from my girlfriend, being away from my friends. So right now, actually, the demand is crazy and I'm surely I'm like full time here and they have much more demand than when I can actually satisfy. I'm doing the best as I can and giving my life for this project and trying to have everybody content and happy and and also building relationship with with every single client on the court and off the court which is actually most valuable because they they value me as a person.
Txema:They have integrated even integrated me in many of their families and for me since I came here by myself and I'm here by myself and they have became my family as well. So whenever I have just a little bit of free time during weekends, which is not that much, I'm always actually spending time with them. So I have became friends outside the core and clients inside the core. You were telling me you you work from from Monday to Friday, so you're you're full. And it's a
Alejandro:good problem to have that you have more more demand than what you can that you can give, but I understand. I understand. And even today, we were talking about scheduling this show, you know, you you just came off classes. Correct. So
Txema:and we're record I'd record on Sundays, so Yeah. Especially on Sundays is the perfect time to organize, like, more social events, tournaments for the for the people that attend to the clinics or or for those that they don't that they but they just leave here and they want to join the tournaments and the many corporate events also. So, yeah, weekends are actually more events oriented and then weekdays from Monday to Friday is more like clinics, mixers, and then every the area like for every from Monday to Thursday from four to six We I'm running like a junior a junior program which is actually was very demanded from kids from six years to 19 years and all the all type of levels. We have high performance kids. We have beginners kids.
Txema:We yeah. And we're trying to do or to have a space for everybody, not just for juniors but also for adults. The way I'm managing it is is that every day I'm offering a clinic for a certain level in particular. Okay. So let's say my Mondays are for beginners, people that have never grabbed a racket, but then Tuesdays is for advanced beginners and then it goes to low intermediate, high intermediate, low advanced, blah blah blah.
Txema:And then at the same time, we I'm I'm doing like a not just clinics which is sound like more educating or coaching the the player. I'm giving those I'm giving them the also opportunity to play, we call here mixers, which is like a small tournaments where people get to play a real match against somebody else and that's actually a perfect time for them to socialize because I'm I put the all the names on an app and the app creates me all the matches. So people get to play against everybody and that's actually very fun because they get to know each other on the court. And it's also good for them because they get to play against people that have different styles, different speed, different effects. So so that and that's also cool because this perfect combination of going for the clinics and learn how to play at the same time of going to matches and learning how to play matches.
Txema:Right? The the rules, how to serve, how to come up to the net, how to play with the walls, all all all that that that's actually make a perfect combination.
Alejandro:Can you tell me a little bit about the community building aspect of what you do? When we were getting to know each other a little bit, you mentioned that you've noticed that a lot of the work that you do is not only providing skills and training, but there's also an aspect of community and friendships that have been developed. Can you expand on that
Txema:for us? When I first came here, especially in the beginning in trying to understand the business here and what The Ritz Carlton was about and the type of clients that I had, And once I was able to kind of set up all the clinics and organize everything was when I was actually thinking about going to the next level and think outside of the box and try to come up with ideas that will make people not only better players but but happier persons by doing events or on tournaments or social events and like, but all completely friends like friends type of tournaments and not extremely competitive because I want them to come here to be happy and not I mean, of course, for advanced type of players, they all there will always be competition and they're actually seeking more for competition even though afterwards they they gather together. I usually organize. I order food from some specials place here. I I, of course, I I there's some friends here in the island that they actually they have actually opened a a food boutique for Spanish product.
Txema:They own the second mall.
Alejandro:Casa Silva. Right?
Txema:Yes. Okay. Good friends of mine. I was there for the opening. Yeah.
Txema:I'm counting with them for the every time I do a tournament, I I order a few paellas, which is an amazing dish that they actually do. I would say it's the best, if not one of the best. And it's very nice to share because they bring the whole thing for not everybody's a very common dish to eat and I bring my Spanish identity up to the table so everything works and they treat me very well and and that's actually my main partnership that I have. So so yeah, that's and this very silly thing truly makes community because first with the tournament the tournament itself, which I organize is very professional, and then afterwards, once the once the tournament is done is when the food comes, we bring also gaspacho, we bring, like, beers and and well, they spend a good time there too. Because the music I use for the tournament, I put them on the on the corner for them and we spend their hours and hours talking, talking about the tournament, talking about life.
Txema:And I do it with people from all levels, not yet for not not just for advanced players. So that's that's where they started to create more community because during weekdays, people are actually more running side to side and they are actually taking the hour of sport just to take care of themselves and not that much to to to spend too much time there. But but, yeah, definitely tournaments are unifying a lot. And then I I don't know if I mentioned to you before, but there are clients that they have created their own group of friends out of paddle, which is crazy. Like, the friends that they have in the islands are the friends that they have met at the paddle courts.
Txema:And whenever they have free time, they all gather together. It's their group of friends. Paddle is a big thing here, let me tell you. But but, yeah, it's it's it's it's beautiful. One of the things that I value a lot about this country and I and and enrich it so much to me and for others is, especially in this island which is where I barely live on my day by day basis, is that you get to see people from everybody, from everywhere in the world, from every city in The US in the world, and everybody has something to tell you.
Txema:And I keep learning from them and they are my clients in the court, but I'm they're clients outside of the court because many of them are successful people in business, successful people in, you know, in their families. Amazing person. And they're actually teaching me a lot on many other aspects. And I'm also taking advantage of their knowledge. Even during the class during the lesson when we are picking balls or outside when we go for lunch, when we go for dinner Because that knowledge that they have or the experience that they have, I use it for for for my personal development or for my profession for professional skills, and I find it very valuable.
Txema:So, yes, that's that that that's actually has been great. Especially when when when we are on the court and and then they invite me for for lunch at the house of somebody else and then you you get to see the same faces that you you see on a daily basis. So, no, it's beautiful. I'm definitely loving this experience so much and hopefully it's last for so many years and and I never I never leave the Key. I'm actually right now, I'm living in Brickell, and I'm definitely consider once my lease is done to move here to The Key because it's actually where my life is these days.
Alejandro:How do we how can we find out about this, these services? If I wanna join, if I wanna or anybody. Because you guys do also, so you guys do kids and adults. Yep. So if I wanna sign up my kid or or I wanna play a
Txema:game of paddle, how do
Alejandro:I sign up? How do I find out?
Txema:Well, you actually have two options. Okay? The the Ritz Carlton uses one platform called Play by Point, which is like a booking software where you actually it's like a nice, like a Facebook. It's like a yeah. It's like a software itself and mainly mainly folks for in sports and where you create your own profile and you can get to see all the programs.
Txema:Right? You you sign up. You put your name and last name. You create a username and password, and then you you go and search for clinics regarding or depending on your level. But here's the question that you might be thinking.
Txema:Okay. So what's my level? Right? It's a it's what happens to me on a daily basis. I don't I don't play, so I don't have a level.
Txema:But that's a great question. I No. But but but there are people that are more skilled than others. There are people that have practiced tennis before. Tennis have tennis helps you so much in order to kind of have the basics on how to move on the court, coordination wise, reading the ball.
Txema:There are many aspects where tennis can help you or any other racket sports. So but what we we usually do is that we we give you or we suggest you to do, like, a rating rating lesson. They might it might take half an hour or you might take the opportunity or take a full lesson of one hour. And in there is what I give you a rating. With that rating, your profile is kind of completely set up.
Txema:Because with that rating, you're gonna be able to sign up for clinics or for or for the mixers for this, you know, tournaments I was speaking before. But you definitely need to have a rating. I can I I I'm an am authorized to give you or to give anybody a rating either to increase or decrease depending on the level and depending on your playing? Right? But but, yeah, once you have the rating, you can definitely sign up straight away.
Txema:For those that might are not very techy or or or familiar with with apps and mobiles, phones, and all that, I can definitely recommend you to call the front desk, which Of the rates? Yes. Okay. Yeah. And they can they can Google like a tennis Ritz Carlton and they will see a phone number right away.
Txema:Just give them a call. Okay. I'm interested in joining to the tennis clinics or the the pilot clinics. What do I need to do? Likely they will tell them to come to the front desk, they will help you out or guide you to create a profile and then once you have the profile created and that's easy.
Txema:The most common thing that's happening is that my phone is all over the island. So people text me every day. That's regarding the clinics and the mixers. Then for private lessons, that's actually more directly to me. Right?
Txema:Because I am the one that takes care of my own availability, and I send my all my ability to those who have asked me for for for lessons every Sunday. And then you will see all the openings that I have, and then when they say to you, okay, Cima, please get me the Monday from three to four, one hour. But the clinic is like a much organized things because we take three courts with each court, there's a different coach. So the way I structure it is that in every court, we practice a different type of shot or a different type of strategy depending on the level so actually it's actually very helpful because in one hour and a half you get to practice a lot different shots so that's actually quite complete. And then that's regarding the mixers and the clinic and my and the privates already talked but regarding the junior program is kind of the similar thing.
Txema:For the actually for the juniors and they they actually the frontis is the one that mainly takes care of the availability because it gets full very quick and there's so volatile like on one season I get to see like 90% of new faces and I know I don't know the kids, so I may focus on the the running of the junior kids, but not that much on the registration. Let's say that way. Right? So, yeah, that happens as well. Okay.
Txema:A client of mine. Okay. I want to sign up my kid for the junior program blah blah blah. But I forward directly the the message through front desk and they're actually the ones that they sign him in and tell them which day, what time, And then I see the kids on the court and I and I and I already know
Alejandro:what to do. Tell me a little bit about the business side or aspect of paddle.
Txema:Well, that's that's actually a quest a very good question. Paddle is a sport that right now, talking about Spain, which is what I better know, is the number one most practiced sport, which is a crazy stat I give you. You know that in Spain, soccer has been always the main player. Tennis has been always big. Arena Pate is the number one.
Txema:And in other countries, not just in Spain, Argentina, I think, is also number one. Sweden got huge. Indonesia, Asia. Right now, battle is going through a global expansion worldwide, actually quite big, and it's happening right now. Battle in Spain in the 2012 or even even a little earlier, it started to explode and they started to construct so many battle facilities.
Txema:And the bomb was insane. It was crazy. But then crisis came and and and you started to see that paddle facilities weren't as full as they were before. So just I mean, people saw that numbers weren't weren't that good anymore. But out of the sudden, pilot kind of reactivated like crazy in Spain as well.
Txema:And right now, they're they're starting to construct more more pilot facilities and those that were able to suffer that bad season. Right now, they are they are doing great. I'm putting this example because I think that right now in The US, padding is starting to grow as crazy. And I think that the way they're consolidating tennis paddle facilities, it's it's I mean, they are doing good stuff. And The US is actually positioning in the world in the in this industry of paddle as one of the leading example on how to do things right because they're kind of reinventing the sports in terms of bringing not only luxury, but definitely treating the sport in a very comfort commodity and treating the the the customer way too good.
Txema:They are making out of this sport something exclusive and nice. Let me tell you, like, right now, the active users in The US, number of users 150,000. It's not that much, but the the metrics is crazy like the stats are like that like every year there are more user, more paddle facilities.
Alejandro:Paddle users and paddle players and paddle facilities. Exactly.
Txema:They're crazy. Miami, it's insane that way. Like almost every month there is another paddle facility open and and that was fun. That was very funny because like one year ago there were still many states in The US that they have one single court. And right now I'm telling you, there there's not one single state in The US that doesn't count with at least two or three or four or multiple tennis facilities.
Txema:But I was saying I was gonna say one or two battle court. But right now they are like every state, different clubs. And those that are consolidating a brand and they're doing good stuff with their brand as a paddle facility, they're they're counting with investors or or gaining, fund investors to kind of expand their brand, all over The United States. You get to see, for example, there's this paddle club called Reserve which became very famous especially because they have been reinventing the sport. They were actually the pioneers on on how creative out of a sport such a luxurious type of lifestyle.
Txema:So these guys have brought the number one and number two best player in the world to trim here in Miami. And having them as a pattern or brand ambassadors for their own facility. Having them playing pro ams, having them host events and to kind of gain attention for investors or potential people that are in the sport industry or not to keep an eye on what's we're on, what's happening with this sport. And that's actually I find it very interesting especially for those that are like impulsing because actually it's actually the best way of bringing the best people to make the show and and bring attraction to into the sport. Right?
Txema:But, yeah, everything right now, I'm I think and I don't think I'm I'm mistaken that, Pavel, that The US is consolidating as a country, the capital of the world for PADO. And I will and it will be 100% the next following years because they're doing good stuff and they are treating the sport with respect and and knowing exactly what what they are doing.
Alejandro:So in your opinion then,
Txema:what is the future of paddle look like? Well, the future of paddle definitely looks bright in this country. They they actually dealing with making this sport an an Olympic sport for in the next for the next Olympic, if not for the next one. And I think that paddle is following or keeping a very close eye to pickleball. Because pickleball has been a sport that has exploded.
Txema:It was born and raised, I think, in The US and exploded in the last year. Right now, I was telling you Battle has 150,000 active users in The US and guess how many has pickable? 30,000,000. That's almost the same population as we have in Spain. Having 100,000,000 in Asia, So it's, like, it's definitely a sport.
Txema:It's already consolidated 100% and it's growing a lot. And that's a very brand new and recent sport that's it came up, like, not long time ago. So I think that battle main developers are having are keeping a very close eye to see how they are doing to kind of either copying them or or or try to improve what they have done. Right? But, yeah, definitely for The US, I think that data will definitely establish in the next following years.
Txema:I don't know how long it will take, but numbers are talking that the the numbers can go high. And The US is a is has been always a a country that has been very related with the tennis rackets and to the racket with tennis racket sports. So Americans or people that live in this country, they have their skill to play with a ball and a racket. So I think all these new sports that have a racket and involve involve Americans are willing to to try it out and that's definitely fun. The best part is it's very, like, fun to play with people and to show socialize.
Txema:It's a fun sport. It's not that technical, like, such as tennis, such as golf. It's actually a sport that can that everybody can play in and and enjoy just like people could that just like people, pickleball. That's why pickleball has exploded because you get to see like a kid of six years old playing and and then then all those of 85 years old playing. So that's why I also became very, very popular.
Txema:Yeah. Awesome. Well, Aston,
Alejandro:Cemma. Well, Cemma, thank you so much for joining us on the show and telling us your story. We have a closing question we like to ask our guests here in Cube's Game Stories. What is your favorite part of Cube's Game? Woah.
Txema:Hey. That's a good question. Even though I know you've already sprinkled a lot
Alejandro:of it throughout the show, but
Txema:me think about it because I I truly love it. And let me tell you, there are there are some clients that have that have amazing and beautiful houses where I find the best places to be on the island to to have a good lunch or to or to have something to drink with them. Sunsets, I I feel they're amazing, especially at the Clyde. I love it. And my girlfriend was here this past summer.
Txema:We usually go there a lot. I honestly find that the Ritz Carlton is a very beautiful place to be. Surroundings are beautiful. The pantries to do sports. When the hotel was open before the renovation, I usually go I usually I used to go up to the beach.
Txema:I love the beach over there. But oh, well. Let me tell you. I I already have the place, which is Crandon Park Golf. I play golf as well, and I find it such an unique place in the world to be surrounded by so much nature, the alligators, which for me is a crazy thing to have around.
Txema:And lots of type of animals you get to see there. And and, yeah, being there with two, three friends just by yourself. Yes. Yes. Without hearing anything, I find and and being able to if you're playing during the afternoon session to see the sunset coming from the skyline of Brico, I find these moments completely completely magic.
Txema:I will say that. Yeah. Definitely. To it. Like a place
Alejandro:to be. Right? And have my own preferences for restaurants and all that. And, Tim, it was great to have you and get to know you and thank you for your contributions to the community, and we'll look forward for I know that you're still you're obviously doing trainings now, but the Ritz is gonna open soon, so we're excited about that. But thank you for joining us on the show and sharing us your story.
Txema:Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me, Alejandro. I I love my day here.