RICK'S BIO

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SINCE MOVING TO FLAGSTAFF (2007-PRESENT)
When I came to Flagstaff the city had no tennis program and out of the four high schools in the city only one even had a tennis club (it was a club, not a team). The timing of my move was perfect, as there were a handful of tennis enthusiasts who were determined to grow tennis in the area. I became involved in a variety of programs in the first few years I lived in Flagstaff, including running the FACTS tennis program, which brought tennis into all the elementary schools in Flagstaff and starting & coaching the tennis team at Sinagua high school (now closed). 

As my own program grew, I felt that I needed to concentrate all my efforts on that enterprise. I have now been running the Flagstaff Tennis Program for over 17 years - the program was started from scratch in 2007 and now has grown to over 200 participants per session and classes are run 12 months/year! These efforts were recognized by the Northern Arizona Tennis Association as I was named the Tennis  professional of the year in 2012. I take great pride in the fact that I have helped bring tennis to the city of Flagstaff, there are now teams at all four high schools in the city and both junior and adult tennis continues to grow here...I want to say thanks to the entire tennis community for their support! After contracting with the City of Flagstaff for the first nine years and teaching classes on the courts at Thorpe Park, I moved my program to the courts at NAU in the spring of 2016. I am really excited about the new opportunities that this spectacular facility will bring to tennis in Flagstaff!

CHICAGO AREA BIO (1980-2006)
I have been teaching tennis in some capacity since I was in high school, when I taught the park district program in Urbana, Illinois. I went on to play tennis at Northern Illinois University before taking a "year off" from school to teach tennis at SCORE Tennis Center in 1984. That "year off" turned into a 22 year career, which culminated in me becoming a minority owner of SCORE, an eight court indoor tennis facility in Countryside, Illinois (about 15 miles from Chicago). The first 15 years of my tenure at SCORE were spent working with Jim Fannin, who had coached four-time Wimbledon doubles champion Peter Fleming and had done extensive research on teaching children at Ohio St. University before starting a junior program in the Chicago area . Much of my teaching philosophy, which stresses a balance between having fun and working hard, was formed during my years with Jim.

I became head pro at SCORE in 1992 and continued to work for Jim until he left in 1998, when I became part owner along with a group of outside investors. During my time at SCORE I taught EVERY age and level extensively...age 4 to 74(?) and from beginner to top junior players. My primary role at SCORE was working with the competitive junior program, which featured a large contingent of regionally and nationally ranked junior players. I was fortunate that during this time I was the personal coach for junior players that won four Midwest sectional championships and three Illinois High School state championships. After years of 6 day/60hour work weeks, I decided it was time for a change, so I sold my shares of the club, sold my house, jumped in my car and drove around the west for four months - hiking, taking pictures and looking for my next home. I moved to Flagstaff in the spring of 2007 to start up a tennis program and pursue my other passions (hiking and photography).