Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitch Bridge.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mitch. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
During the tennis boom of the 70’s, I had 3 tennis courts at the end of my block where I would walk down to and play. I was motivated and inspired by Connor, Evert, McEnore and Borg. I liked the wooden rackets and art and brains of the game. I played a lot of sports and tennis was the only sport that owned me. I felt like it mastered me rather than me mastering it. It was challenging, especially growing up in Rapid City, SD, and Ridgecrest, CA where tennis is not as big. I went to Long Beach State University and played on a top 5 NCAA team. After college, I played money tournaments and small pro tournaments to make my livelihood. When that wasn’t enough to take care of my wife and two boys I decided to start my own tennis academy.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest part of owning and managing a tennis academy is packaging the service to players that are at different commitment levels. This is not a one size fits all sport. Everyone has unique needs and what they want to get out of it varies. Getting that right has been the biggest struggle.
Please tell us about Southern California Tennis Academy.
Here at the SC Tennis Academy, we coach tennis to high-level junior players with full-time boarding students from around the world and strong local SoCal talent. We are known for our high-level of coaches and strong players. I am most proud of the development of our students. All of the attention our players receive from all of the staff here is what sets us apart from other academies.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up I played a lot of sports. Football, basketball, tennis, baseball. I’ve always been into sports and probably always will be. Those were probably my fondest memories.
Contact Info:
- Address: Eldorado Park Tennis Center
2800 N. Studebaker Rd.
Long Beach, CA 90815 - Website: Www.sctennisacademy.com
- Phone: 5627042241
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Sctennisacademy
- Facebook: Southern California Tennis Academy
- Twitter: Sctennisacademy
- Other: Snap chat: sctennisacademy
Image Credit:
BrownDogWilson
