FORMER junior champion tennis ace Paul Summerside has big plans to rejuvenate the Gerringong Tennis Club after returning to Australia after 15 years of coaching in Europe and Asia.
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The 38-year-old, who was at one stage ranked No. 5 in Australia in juniors and made the semi-finals of the Australian Open juniors in under-16s, says his chance to coach overseas came "out of the blue".
"In fact I had quit tennis in 1999 and a friend contacted me and asked me if I was interested in coaching in Austria and I thought 'why not' and stayed there for two-and-a-half years," Summerside said.
"I then moved to Germany and stayed for more than six years before finishing up in Hong Kong for seven-and-a-half years.
"The funny part about Hong Kong was that I was originally supposed to go to Las Vegas, but visa hassles meant I finished up in Hong Kong.
"The USA and Hong Kong are pretty much the biggest markets in tennis coaching - you can easily work 50-60 hours a week and still have a 20-hour waiting list.
"One of the highlights while in Germany was running clinics with Aussie legends like Pat Cash and Tony Roche - in fact 'Rochie' was unbelievable and I learned so much from him.
"But in the end being married with a 14-month-old son Alec - the urge to return home was too great and to be involved with a progressive and friendly club like Gerringong is a dream come true.
"They have a great committee, new courts and a great culture in the club and long-time coach Wayne Pack is looking to cut back his coaching commitments and is happy to back me up."
Summerside has big plans for the club, including introducing things like mini-tennis, a cardio program, mixed night tennis, school holiday tennis camps and trying to encourage more social participation.
"I am also hoping to arrange more school participation and have already spoken to Kiama High School, who are keen, and will be approaching Gerringong Public School to see if we can line up something with them."
Gerringong Tennis Club committee member Romy Sperring said the club was thrilled to have someone of Paul's calibre and experience spearheading the development side of the club.
"As volunteers we don't have the time to drive that side of the club and we are looking forward to Paul doing just that," Mrs Sperring said.
"Paul is very well known locally and has a lot of contacts - in fact his enthusiasm is infectious and we can't wait to see more kids playing tennis on the Gerringong courts," she said.