Missouri Valley / St. Louis

Hickman turns 55 years of tennis experience into coaching at St. Louis Tennis Collective

David Smale | October 05, 2026

Gary Hickman was playing tennis with one of his regular playing buddies when the other guy asked him if he’d be interested in coaching some kids just starting out in the sport.

Hickman’s response was quick and emphatic.

“I’m not a teacher,” he said. “I’ve never coached before.”

The two men walked to the clubhouse to get something to drink when another one of their playing buddies — who happened to own the company he worked for — walked in the door. He came up to them and asked Hickman, “What do you think about helping out kids in underserved communities with learning tennis?”

“I looked up to the sky and said, ‘Lord, are you trying to tell me something?’” Hickman said.

Hickman had just completed a six-year board term with a historic children’s home in St. Louis City, so he agreed to look at their programs. After investigating it for a couple weeks, he agreed to be the lead coach for two branches of a community boys’ and girls’ center.

That was in 2022, and Hickman jumped in with both feet. After deciding to become a tennis coach, he went through USTA training to gain his Level 1 accreditation. He continued the coaches training and added Level 2 accreditation. Hickman is a USTA Coaching member.

Hickman’s business partner, Jerry Horsford, went through Level 2 the following year as well. Together, they’ve formed a business training juniors and adults called the St. Louis Tennis Collective. They have non-profit and for-profit sides to their business.

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From Player to Coach

The St. Louis Tennis Collective is not the first time Hickman has immersed himself in tennis.

He bought his first tennis racquet after his mom gave him a Top Value stamp book when he was 14. He started playing tennis in junior high and played recreationally throughout his years at McCluer High School and Mizzou.

While at Mizzou he started to play in tournaments, which is how he got involved in the USTA. He joined a team that was formed by one of his buddies. Mostly, it was a way for Hickman to stay both connected and competitive.

He enjoyed the interaction and became a lifetime member of the USTA. He called it a “lifestyle choice.”

Gary Hickman co-founded the St. Louis Tennis Collective, where he teaches tennis to youth and adults.

Gary Hickman has been involved in tennis for over 55 years. He began coaching the sport in 2022 at the request of his playing buddies.

Gary Hickman co-founded the St. Louis Tennis Collective, where he teaches tennis to youth and adults.
Gary Hickman has been involved in tennis for over 55 years. He began coaching the sport in 2022 at the request of his playing buddies.

Now that he’s coaching and mentoring, Hickman wants to do more than just provide entertainment and a way for kids to burn off steam.

“I started noticing that it was a babysitting job,” he said. “A lot of kids were coming in wanting to run and slide on the floor and do somersaults. It’s nothing negative. It’s just that the lack of exposure to this formerly rich-man sport with little access to court space and no services that are affordable; I wanted to bring something that’s a little bit more technically oriented.

“You don’t have much time when you’re 11 or 12 years old to prepare to compete seriously at the high school level. We want to get them exposed to some tools through the educational side of tennis. We want to get them prepped for taking this on as a lifestyle of something they’ll be doing for as long as I have.”

A Purposeful Approach

And while he enjoys the fun side of tennis, Hickman doesn’t take it lightly. For example, when he took over the summer camp program, he made sure it was focused on tennis.

“I’d have kids saying, ‘Coach, can we play knockout?’” Hickman said. “I’d say, ‘Nope, this is a camp where I’m trying to teach you how to do something and learn how to get into it for real.’ I could be three courts over, and I could call out one of my guys’ names and say, ‘Hey, what are you doing with that racquet?’ They would say, ‘OK, coach, I got it.’ You could see, over time, them wanting to be involved in the sport.

“If somebody said, ‘I don’t want to play tennis,’ I would just say, ‘No problem. Go have a seat. You can sit there as long as you want to, because we want people who are interested in learning how to play the game.’

Hickman, who has been involved in tennis for over 55 years, is proud of the work the St. Louis Tennis Collective is doing and the ways the organization gives back.

“The commitment is to work with underserved communities, and to make tennis a sport they are proud to be involved with,” Hickman said. “Our program makes an additional investment in our NJTL youth, providing what we call a swag bag. Which includes a backpack, two racquets — one for red ball, one for other levels — and seasonal tennis attire.”

It’s what happens when you believe God has told you to do something.

Learn more about USTA Coaching here. Check out additional Coach Appreciation Month stories from across USTA Missouri Valley here.

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