Her Story
About Bev
Beverly Supanick serves as a Racquetball Coach in Adelphi, Maryland. She started her professional journey in the fitness industry in 1997 at Sport and Health in Bethesda, where she coached racquetball, started leagues, and gave lessons. Over the years, she has worked at multiple gyms, including one with 130 active members, and has built a niche following by helping injured players return to the game through operant conditioning techniques. Supanick holds a master's degree in second language acquisition, which she earned after graduating college in 1982, and possesses four certifications in racquetball and squash coaching. As a competitive player, she has secured 14 national titles, consisting of 7 in doubles and 7 in singles, and maintains membership in USA Racquetball. She is also involved with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and attributes her success to prayer guiding her hard work, having overcome a few career-threatening injuries.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Bev
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute it a lot to prayer and the prayer guides my hard work. Some of the injuries, 3 of them have been career-threatening, so a lot of times I'm just thankful that I'm still playing and coaching.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Find out as much as you can about each player that you help. That is the key to developing the best plan for them so that they can do the best drills and conditioning for them individually and I can help them work at their current physical capacity.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Hang in there, and despite all the courts disappearing, there are still opportunities to learn how to coach from weekend seminars and longer seminars. It's worth pursuing as a coach and a player because it's a lifetime sport. There are challenges with male coaches thinking they deserve the spot, but hang around with someone who's gone through that for help and advice.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenge is that the growth industry that racquetball was has disappeared. The courts are disappearing, so job opportunities for coaches are disappearing. The opportunity is that unlike football, basketball, and baseball, people of all sizes can excel at a certain level in racquetball. It's an even playing field where anyone can win a division or state title with hard work.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Use your own struggles to help others through their struggles. That has really been a driving force and a motivator as I've been able to help other players.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.