Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Detwiler.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Melissa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was a child tennis prodigy growing up in Myrtle Beach, SC. I started playing tennis at 7 with my father as my coach. I started winning tournaments pretty quick and tennis became my life. I was under a ton of pressure from my parents with high expectations of performance on the court as well as in school. I did not have such a great childhood. I was filled with anxiety, pulled my eyelashes out, had feelings of never being quite good enough, feelings of wanting to be just a normal kid but being told that wasn’t good… I was special… so I was told. Ironically, I did go on to play on the pro satellite tour at 17 before playing Division 1 for Clemson University and then on a full scholarship at Boston University.
I graduated BU with a business degree but fell in love with acting while I was there so I moved to Los Angeles in 1992. I had some success as an actress but very minor. I was teaching tennis as a way to network and make some money. It was in 2004 that I came up with Henry the Sports Bug while teaching my young tennis students. My goal was for my students to just have fun and get the benefits of playing a sport without all of the pressure I had. I didn’t want to limit Henry the Sports Bug to just tennis as playing all sports and being active add so much benefit to a person’s life especially young kids. So I started to create Henry’s world in my head and had a close friend who was a writer and wanted to write children’s books so I asked him to help me create the Henry the Sports Bug stories.
We came up with the first 5 books and that was that. I didn’t do anything with them until 2010 when I self-published my first book. I then got a Kia Soul and wrapped it in HTSB’s design, had a professional HTSB mascot made, t-shirts, hats, stickers, 1000 books printed and took 5 weeks and went across the country to elementary schools introducing them to HTSB. Grades K-3rd (My 5-week trip didn’t happen until 2013). By the time I got back I had been in 9 states 40 different elementary schools, seen thousands of kids parents, teachers, administrators all who loved HTSB message and the book. I was on tv, in the newspaper and Chick-fil-a even wanted to put HTSB books into their kid’s meals.
Everyone that met me and HTSB saw what I see and that is a character and a brand that inspires young kids to get active, do well in school and eat healthy, three of HTSB’s main causes.
Playing and participating in sports offers so many benefits and lays the foundation for a child to gain confidence, become leaders, do better in school, make new friends, learn how to win, how to lose, how to be a part of a team, how to be a good sport… the list goes on. Being active at a young age helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle as you get older as well. I may not work out like I did when I was training but my body has been programmed and it responds quicker when I do, there is a muscle memory as well as a mind memory.
Having a healthy mindset is essential as we get older and if we have things we learned as children that we can draw upon when we are going through massive pressure and stress as adults that’s a win-win. Since my 5 week tour, I have published 7 more books for a total of 8, which are on Amazon.
I currently have an after-school tennis program for K-3rd that I created for Campbell Hall Episcopal School in Studio City where I also coach the boys and girls Junior High tennis teams. I have a web page, FB page, Twitter, YouTube, theme song, activity pages, summer, spring, and winter tennis camps. I have a 4-minute cartoon trailer to show what a cartoon series might look like which is a bigger goal so I can reach kids everywhere.
This past year I created the HTSB Foundation (501c3) to be able to sponsor deserving kids into their local sports programs, donate sports equipment to underfunded PE school programs, create sports community days bringing the community together to teach them and introduce them to their local sports, nutritional and educational programs, and to have a global impact taking sports equipment, books, toys, and food to children across the world that might never have even played with a ball.
This summer I have been given the opportunity to expand my brand by creating an HTSB Sports Camp for the resort Paws Up in Greenough, Montana. www.PawsUp.com They are promoting HTSB through all of their marketing and social media. The sports camp will consist of tennis, golf, basketball, and soccer. Maybe I can take this sports camp and do it for other resorts as well. I just keep walking through doors and opportunities all in hopes of changing kids lives for the better bringing them fun, laughter, health, and a love for sports.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s interesting, I have learned in life as most people probably have, that the more you push for the things the more they seem to get further away. I have had this sense of knowing and calm where HTSB is concerned. Just when I think that it’s not moving forward another door opens. When you are aligned with the path that is meant for you things start to flow. The tough part, at least for me, is accepting that the “flow” may not be in your time frame.
I am super impatient and want it now! A little Veruca Salt… “I want it NOW Daddy” in me! lol! I believe in God and always have sought his direction and believe HTSB has been blessed and has a higher purpose in changing kids lives for the better. If there is one thing that sports have taught me, it’s that you may have an off day or have a big challenge but the winners learn from the challenge and come back the next day to perform again.
Ambition never sleeps, gives up, or waivers. In life, of course, you will have obstacles but the best learn how to pivot. I thought God’s plan for me was to be an actress but I “got to” pivot and what an amazing pivot it was to use my creativity with HTSB to change children’s lives.
Henry the Sports Bug – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Right now HTSB is a children’s character and brand that has 8 books on Amazon. It targets ages 4-8. It is a school assembly program, going into schools, reading a book, teaching sports, getting the kids moving and introducing them to HTSB. It is an after-school tennis program. It is a resort sports program teaching kids the basics of tennis, soccer, basketball, and golf. As a Foundation, it specializes in supporting, sponsoring, and donating to those kids, schools, and communities that don’t have the opportunities to participate in sports and activities.
We also license our HTSB character and brand image to those companies who see a synergy and want to use HTSB as a positive platform to promote their brands. Hopefully, there will be much more to come such as a cartoon, an interactive video game, an app that the kids also have to exercise and move to be able to continue progressing through the app, a stage show, and many more branding partnerships. Why I started HTSB and what makes my heart and soul happy today is not just seeing kids excited about sports.
It’s deeper than that, it’s seeing them happy, healthy, active, well balanced, gaining confidence, doing better in school, being leaders, being comfortable in social settings, giving them a positive role model, and in the end giving them a foundation of positive life skills that they can draw on the rest of their lives. In my opinion, all of these things create better adults and people that can also be like HTSB encouraging others to do the same as well. Henry the Sports Bug is not just a brand it’s a movement. Team Henry!
What were you like growing up? Personality wise, interest wise, etc.
When I was 10 years old I wanted to move to Los Angeles or California in general. I actually wanted to play tennis for Stanford but I wasn’t quite good enough as they had the number one team in the nation!! lol! For me, it just seemed like there were more things to do and opportunities in LA. This is true and of course who doesn’t love the weather. I grew up in a warm climate but the humidity was brutal. Who loves the traffic here? Ha! I also miss a small town community.
LA can be brutal, everyone seems to have their own agenda and if you can’t contribute to their agenda they move on. You have to find your niche and create your own community and a circle of friends who become your family. I am lucky to have created that, now I would like to find a guy… scratch that..” a man!”, that can be my partner, which all my girlfriends are looking for… but it is really not easy in LA! I am ready for that but that’s a whole other interview! lol! Maybe Henry will find me, my partner! HA!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HenrytheSportsBug.com
- Phone: 323-252-1287
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @HenrytheSportsBug
- Facebook: FaceBook.com/HenrytheSportsBug
- Twitter: HenrySportsBug
- Other: YouTube.com/HenrytheSportsBug
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