Dear family and friends,
I write this letter to inform you that I have resigned from my position as tennis coach at East Bank Club. But do not fret, this is a letter of love and gratitude. This is the kind of letter you might want to take next to the fire and grab yourself a hot chocolate or maybe glass of whiskey. It’s going to be a long one, probably not long enough because there are so many people to thank. I will do my best but if I forget you, please accept my sincere apology. Also, know that I leave to explore new adventures and it’s all good and exciting.
First, I must thank East Bank Club. I came to the club as a boy and I am leaving as a man. You showed me how to be the best, the constant improvement, dedication to the well being of it’s members, and how to care for it’s employees. It was a great run and I am so looking forward to seeing the transformation. It’s already looking magnificent, especially the tile by the elevators, huge fan. To Mel, our fearless leader, when you stood up there during our quarterly evaluation and took the heat with such patience and calmness, I thought to myself, I can learn something from that. To Mr Levin, thank you for starting something that has turned into a family, your vision is incredible.
To Coach Tom, I met you in my 20s, you gave me a chance, and then you gave me a second chance when it was time to get serious about my life because kids came into the picture. I’ve learned so much about being a manager from you. How patient you were with me, how you let me teach how I wanted to, and our games on the court, I don’t know how you always knew where I was going to hit the ball, but you did. Thank you.
Coach Keith, you’re so tough, but I know you’re just a teddy bear. You taught me how to be on time, how to be honest with people, and how to care for your coworkers. Coach Rob, you are a game master, accelerator and all the fun games you showed me how to do. Thank you. Coach Hector, I learned how to be a competitor from you and how to organize a drill, also up and back.
And to all the other coaches, Michael Selito, Julian, Michael Fox, Aidan, Nini, and Coach Elizabeth, I finally got you with that tennis ball Haha. You were always a joy to talk to, I’m going to miss you. Coach Sam, thank you for taking the time to listen to me when I needed someone the most.
To the rest of the staff, Jeff, funiest trainer in the world, Lilia, my neighbor, Devon, always smiling. David, Rockin Morocan, I’ll miss our conversations. Cheeky, Ernest from foe to friend. To Anthony, always at the door, to Rhonda. To Chris and Ron my neighbor in the locker room. To Rebecca the nutritionist. To all the staff in the market and all the people at our place.
To the members, so many, so what I’m going to try to do is go through my days and try to remember each and one of you so that I can always come back to here and remember because as time passes, memories will become blurry, names will become distant, and mother time will take care of us all.
Monday: Frank, Jim, Karolina and David, thank you for those special moments and the laughs. Frank, you showed me what a competitor looks likes tough as nails and shakes your hand at the end of the day. Remember to watch the ball to the racket!!! Karolina, polish friend, and coach too. Jim, the professor, lefty wizard, hustle master. David, with the wicked drop shot, Sneak attack!
To Teodora, we started at zero and now look at you, rally champion. To Nicki, we started when you were 13 and now you are 17. Wow, you went from a kid to a young woman. I’m so proud of your growth and grateful to been a part of it. Good Luck in Notre Dame or whatever school you end up in. Helena thanks for the opportunity. To Paul and Sue, soulmates on and off the court.
Now to Maxwell, Melissa, and Magdalena. The spark started with you. You came into my life and everything changed. I got the life back into me. You made tennis so much fun again and I had the best times with you. Maxwell, thank you for being such a funny guy, I’ll always remember your volleys at your face, I see it now. Thank you. Melissa, thank you for showing me how to strive to be the best, always finish on a good one, work extremely hard, and your eternal optimism was inspiring to say the least. Thank you. Magdalena, boss lady, polish sister, cause you look like my sister, your dedication to the sport, your passion, and your professional demeanor, although I want you to know that I’m watching and ready to call a code violation if need be 😉 And to Eden, you’re such a hard worker and always wanting to improve. To Nina, you’ve improved so much in such a short time.
To my friend Usman, I’m going to miss our Wednesday sessions, where we played 6-10 and then talked about life but I feel like we’re just getting started. To my friend Eric, I loved our banters, you have the best left hand forehand topspin shot. Remember to split step haha. To my friend Jim, dinner for 2? Haha, you’re lust for life and everything in between is awesome. I learned so much from you. To my friend Michael, I loved our battles on the court, you are deffinitly one of the smartest out there and you really know how to use every possible trick to get in a players head, the drop shot and the art of the gab, I learned that being on time is important from you and that you’re only testing to see if I can handle the heat, I got way stronger cause of you.
To my aerobics crew, remember to slide, so many fun games, so many laughs. To Tim, thank you for coming by and helping me with my cabinets and having so many jokes. To Amy, let’s take a circle around the racket and get back into it. To Annie, you’re so fierce at the net.
To Jen Dresden, your laugh is infectious. Thank you for our conversations and thank you for your belief in Zus, there’s no bigger fan than you. I sure am going to miss being next to your court. To Kat, we made so much progress, remember to fist pump after a good one and to believe in yourself.
To Jeff and Leonard and Herb and Chris, Tuesdays at 12 were great, once in a while you let me play in and it was so much fun. To Nate, such a cat lover, thanks for getting a Zus.
Onto Wednesday, To Mick and Lisa, I am going to miss you, a couple that plays tennis together stays together. Mick, you’re my hero, your passion for life is something else. And Lisa, you’re such a calming effect on Mick.
To Kevin, thanks for taking a chance on me, I know we’re going to reach our goal. To Andrew Jr and Sr. To Phil, who always knew. To Lisa W, thank you. To Doug, Kevin, Nate, David N. To Sara, didn’t realize we had music in common.
To David King, you are a giant of a man, your kindness is outstanding. I saw so much progress with you and I always looked forward to our lessons and every time you went back to Miami I would hope you come back.
To Jerry, even through injuries you found a way to play, I loved our conversations on the bench about our kids and you helped us find our home. You are so patient and thoughtful. Thank you.
KB, what up soldier! You are the fastest human being on the planet, or at least really close to that, I’m going to miss our soldiering. Keep crushing that backhand.
And to everyone else along this journey. I know I’m missing a few but know that I’m eternally grateful for the time we spent together.
Next time you walk by ct 1 will you do me a favor and remember the good times, the times we laughed, the times we did up and back, and the drop shot city, the lob central, or just street tennis. What weapon are you going to use to get those bonus points.
And when you’re on that court please remember to follow through, watch the ball all the way to the racket, split step, grip. Keep it simple, less is more. Focus on the seems of the ball. Every shot is just information, make an adjustment when necessary. Remember the contact point determines the direction of the ball.
As tears roll down my cheeks, know they are tears of joy and gratitude. I’ve learned so much from you all. Every one of you has taught me something and I take it with me onto my next chapter in life. And know that I will be there with you every step of the way in spirit. I’ll also be watching you Frank cause the next time you bang your racket on the curtain, I’m going to blow that whistle on you. Best joke ever, I waited two months for that. Or when Jim and I had that epic comeback in accelerator. And as coach Tom always said, it was a pleasure to make champions every day. A gift to walk through those doors. So lucky to work out in the best gym ever. And I will be eternally grateful for the experience that I had. I love you all with all my heart and soul. Please know that I am just a phone call or text away and that I’m around. For those of you that took a chance on Zus, just know that every time you pick that racket up you become strong and powerful and your best tennis awaits you.
And now it is time to say see you later because Between The Points is my new home, and I hope that it becomes a third of what EBC is because that in itself will be a huge accomplishment.
Thank you Thank you Thank you,
With love and gratitude,
Coach Greg
greg@betweenthepoints.com
P.S. If you’re interested in this story and want to see how my progress goes, please fill your name and email so that I can send you updates. I’ll have some cool freebies here and there too 🙂
Thank you Coach Greg for always making me feel welcomed on the tennis court! I’m so appreciative of all that you taught me and for all of the laughs! I wish you all the best!
Thank you Nina for the kind words. It means the world to me. Your progress was amazing and I hope you stick with it cause you are awesome! good luck. and let me know if there is anything I can do for you.