I began playing tennis at age 6 at Pacific Palisades Recreation Center, where my mom was an instructor. I was hooked immediately and played my first tournament a year later. Back then there was a fantastic local scene where juniors of all ages would practice with each other, compete for junior ladder positions every week, play in team tennis competitions, and of course play local tournaments.

I won my first tournament in San Diego when I was 8 years old and was always ranked in the top ten of my age divisions. My highest ranking came in my last year of junior tennis when I was ranked #1 in Southern California, which was fortuitous, given the fact that this was the year I was being recruited by colleges. 

Being recruited (and ultimately deciding to attend U.C. Berkeley) was one of those defining life moments when you see the tangible results of your hard work. After countless hours of practicing, competing, and traveling I was able to clearly see the hard work/goal connection. 

Playing tennis for Cal Berkeley was one of the greatest tennis experiences of my life. Competing at a level that I had never seen before and having teammates alongside you were brand new, wonderful experiences for me. I competed against players regularly who went on to become top 20 players on the ATP singles circuit, as well as many players who achieved world number one doubles rankings on the ATP world stage. 

My game reached heights that I never imagined previously, however I did come to the realization then that I probably could not make a living playing professional tennis. I finished my college career in 1986 and, although I did continue to compete in national tournaments, I did not go out on tour following college.

One of the greatest things that I was able to do following college was to have the opportunity to play national Father and Son competitions with my dad. We made time to play most of the four national events every year, reaching the number one national ranking twice, in 1996 and 2004.

My lifetime in tennis continued...