A Close-Knit Community
After nearly 10 years as a USTA League tennis captain, Andy Parker shows no signs of stopping. Parker, who has captained dozens of teams over the years, is continuing to develop a close-knit tennis community in the Pittsburgh area.
Due to his impact on USTA League tennis over the years, Parker was named the USTA Middle States Captain of the Month for February.
Parker began playing tennis in eighth grade on public courts near his junior high school in western New York. He and his friends didn’t let anything stop them from playing — as those courts used a 36-inch chain link fence as a net.
He played on and off during college, then took a nearly 20-year break from the game. He picked it back up again in the early 1990s and began participating in USTA League play around 2009.
In his almost 10 years of captaining, Parker has captained more than 30 men’s and mixed doubles teams. Many of them have advanced to Middle States Section Championships over the years. Parker always tries to make sure everyone gets a chance to play, while still keeping his teams competitive.
“The guys are very appreciative of how things work and how I’ve organized our teams,” he said. “Our community makes our district so unique.”
Their players always hunt for courts to play regularly, whether it be at a facility, high school courts or just public courts in the area.
“We used to run three or four regular groups that played rec tennis Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and we also ran Saturday morning groups for nearly 14 years,” said Parker.
This season, Parker will have another busy season full of League tennis, playing on six teams and captaining three.
“As always, captaining is made easier by the wonderful players I get to interact with,” he said.
If you are interested in finding out more information on USTA League tennis in Middle States, click here.
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