My mom swears that I started playing tennis at age 3, however I don’t know this for a fact. I’ll take her word for it though

Anyway, my mom was a YMCA tennis instructor in Solon when we lived there. I helped her with her classes and would hit with her before and after the lessons. She and I would also play every summer and very quickly I developed my natural talent into a pretty impressive force. I was still very young when I had a coach (Pat Smith) ask me to join her traveling team one summer. That was a lot of fun, and it felt good to be the youngest kid on the team.

As I grew older into my teens my parents paid for private/group lessons at Western Reserve Racket Club. They also sent me to a Nike Tennis camp which was intense to say the very least. I also had the good fortune of hitting with the Jenson brothers when they did a promotional visit to Northeast Ohio.

It was no surprise once I got to Aurora High School that I was accepted on the varsity team. I would remain on the varsity team for the rest of my high school career to retire as a 4 year varsity letter award winner. That was a proud moment for me, and something I thoroughly enjoyed accomplishing. I even had my senior graduation party there and everyone signed a gigantic Penn tennis ball! It was awesome!

When I got to Hiram College I was intent on continuing my competitive play for their team, but the time requirements they asked us to put in pulled me away from my studies. It was a hard decision to make but I chose education over tennis.  Thankfully for me the choice paid off and I finished Hiram with good grades. Sadly, though, tennis seemed to slip away and I hardly played while at Hiram.  After graduating I played even less.

It wasn’t until 2 years later that tennis came back into my life. Aurora High School, my alma mater, was in need of a JV tennis coach and the athletic director, Dick Bliss, called me up. He knew my dad for many years (they taught together) and remembered I was a good tennis player. Apparently he figured out I was still in the area and offered me the position. Of course I jumped on the opportunity and was excited to get back into tennis!

In 2007 I assisted head coach Ron Bratton, and in 2008 I assisted head coach Dania Banc. It was so much fun to work with high school students in a sport I loved and had such an appreciation for when I was in school. Most of all I enjoyed joking around with the kids and thinking back to my time as a player. In fact, in 2007 our team ended up winning the CVC, the first time in many many years! It was rewarding, exhilarating, and most of all got me back into the swing (no pun intended) of tennis.

Following the 2008 high school season I was invited to join a 3.5 USTA team by my friend Derek Kohanski. Derek and I played together back in high school so it was fitting that we were on the same team again. Getting involved with the USTA team was terrific. It kept me active, reignited my competitive spirit, and brought back memories from many years before. Only those people who play tennis can speak of the smell of a newly opened can of balls, the feeling of a hard court under your feat, and the sensation of pulling off a killer put away.

I love tennis and I can guarantee it will continue to be a part of who I am.

While my grades were generally good (fluctuating between As and Bs) I wasn’t immune to teenage laziness and disinterest in some subjects which resulted in lower grades. In retrospect, however, my high school years were great. I wasn’t anywhere near the most popular kid, but I wasn’t a huge dork either. I had a superb group of friends that bring back fond memories. I still maintain friendships with some of my friends to this day.

Also during my junior and senior year I had my first girlfriend, and was able to experience all the joys that come with it including falling in love. We dated on and off for 6 years, including college, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be. After college she became a teacher through the well respected Teach for America program and moved cross country. I, instead, opted to stay in Northeast Ohio to develop my web design business here in Cleveland. Though we’re estranged now, and had a less than perfect breakup, I still think of her at times and wish her well.

There’s plenty more I could discuss regarding Aurora, but this was the overall gist of it. My other stories are more specific to actual things that happened in Aurora.

I really hate these kind of kids. The average income for an Aurora family in 2005 was $60,000+ which means you are no where near being an actual gang-banger.

These are the tools who have the under-carriage neon lights, fake spinning rims, crap-ass car with a cracked trunk and $8,000 worth of stereo equipment. YOU’RE TRASH! I hate you! Just because the weather is nice does not mean you’re invited to flaunt your stupidity and shake the cars next to you with your *woofa*.

I want to take all those kids and drop them off in true gang-banger country in Cleveland or Youngstown with a camera strapped to their head and see how long they survive — Blair Witch style.

Not much pisses me off in this world, but when something does I make sure to note it.