From Arias to Aces

I’m a PTR-certified tennis coach in Sarasota, Florida, specializing in adult beginners and players returning to tennis after time away. My goal is to make learning the game approachable, encouraging, and—most importantly—fun.

My love affair with tennis began when I was nine years old, when my parents signed me up for two weeks of summer tennis camp. I wasn’t normally enthusiastic about early mornings, but for tennis camp, I practically catapulted out of bed.

The seed was planted.

Growing up, I spent countless hours hitting against a wall at my parents’ house. I even managed to sprain my ankle chasing a forehand while playing entirely by myself!

But tennis wasn’t my first career.

Music was.

I began studying piano at six, went on to train as a classical singer, and built a career as a professional soprano, pianist, educator, and church musician. For many years, music was at the center of my professional life.

Tennis gradually became the place where I discovered another side of myself.

Finding My Way Back to the Court

In 2013, I enrolled in an adult tennis class taught by instructor Ann Moore. I arrived for my first lesson wearing a pink shirt, denim shorts, the wrong shoes, and carrying a Walmart racquet.

Ann graciously suggested that I invest in proper tennis shoes before returning.

Apparently, the denim shorts could wait.

I wasn’t an accomplished athlete returning to a sport I’d mastered as a child. I was an adult learner figuring things out one lesson, one forehand, and sometimes one mishit at a time. My tennis looked a lot like baseball at times, hitting the ball way over the fence! It took me a year to get my serve to go in the right box!

That’s one reason I especially enjoy working with adults who are beginning tennis or returning to the game after many years away. I remember what it feels like to wonder where you’re supposed to stand, whether you’re holding the racquet correctly, and why the ball seems determined to go everywhere except where you intended.

I also know how satisfying it feels when things finally begin to click.

Tennis Changed More Than My Game

I joined The Meadows Country Club in 2021 and tennis became an increasingly important part of my life. I began playing regularly, competing in club championships and league tennis, taking private lessons, and saying yes to opportunities that pushed me well outside my comfort zone.

Along the way, tennis taught me much more than technique.

It taught me resilience, patience, confidence, and the importance of showing up even when something feels difficult. It also introduced me to an extraordinary community of people and became an important part of my commitment to living a healthier, more active life.

Eventually, I discovered that I loved teaching tennis, too.

After more than 30 years of teaching music, helping someone learn a new skill felt wonderfully familiar. The subject was different, but the heart of teaching was the same: meet the student where they are, explain things in a way that makes sense, celebrate progress, and create an environment where learning can actually be fun.

Becoming a Tennis Coach

The year 2023 became an important springboard in my journey toward teaching tennis. That summer, I joined the Meadows Summer Camp staff, where I discovered how much I loved helping children learn the game. I returned to work with the camp for a second summer, and the experience awakened something familiar in me: the same joy I had always found in teaching music, now translated to the tennis court.

Also in 2023, I began volunteering with Buddy Up Tennis, a program serving athletes with Down syndrome. I quickly fell in love with the program and its wonderful community of athletes, coaches, and volunteers. Together, these experiences helped me realize that teaching tennis wasn’t simply something I enjoyed—it was something I wanted to pursue.

I was invited to join the coaching staff in 2024. I later pursued my tennis teaching certification through the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR).

Today, I’m also a competitive recreational player and captain of a 3.5 Tri-Cities League team. I continue taking lessons, attending clinics, competing, and working on my own game because I believe good coaches should remain enthusiastic students themselves.

And after years of singing opera, I have also discovered that I am the loudest cheerleader on almost any tennis court!

My Approach to Teaching

I believe tennis should be challenging without being intimidating.

You do not need to already be athletic.

You do not need the perfect outfit.

You do not need to lose ten pounds first.

And you certainly don’t need to know what you’re doing before you show up.

My goal is to help adult players build strong fundamentals while feeling comfortable, encouraged, and successful along the way. We’ll work on technique, movement, confidence, and understanding the game—but there will also be plenty of laughter.

Because I remember being the woman who showed up in denim shorts with the wrong shoes.

And she turned out just fine.

If you’ve been curious about tennis, are returning after many years away, or are simply looking for a fun way to become more active, come to the court exactly as you are.

You never know where one simple “yes” might lead.