HighFIVE: Parker Tennis Club
The following HighFIVE profile appears in the 2017 Fall/Winter issue of Colorado Tennis newspaper.
For visionary Barry Riddle, bringing quality tennis to the Parker community is a passion. Barry’s been in the industry for 40 years as a collegiate player, a teaching professional, Head Sports Manager, and now as general manager and majority owner for the highly anticipated Parker Racquet Club set to break ground in late 2017 and opening in the fall of 2018.
Along with his wife, Suzette, a tennis professional at Greenwood Athletic Club, his passion for getting quality tennis into Parker started over a decade ago when he was moved to do something about the lack of courts and programming available for a growing Parker tennis community. They started Parker Tennis LLC in 2004 and joined with the Town of Parker providing tennis opportunities at Railbender Tennis Park, which quickly became overburdened through double digit growth year after year.
“We knew that frustration was growing in the general public about the lack of court availability. We knew the time was right to solve that problem and bring year-round tennis to Parker,” Barry explained.
That vision to put affordable and accessible tennis into Parker will become a reality next year, the state of the art facility that will feature 6 indoor cushioned surface courts, 4 outdoor post tension courts, a 1,500 square foot patio, a 2,000 square foot Welcome Center with locker rooms and a lounge, a full length balcony for excellent viewing on every court, permanent court time, and a full- suite of year round junior and adult programming.
This soon-to-be-realized facility in the heart of Parker took vision, perseverance in overcoming the challenges of working through a Public-Private partnership, and the commitment to secure the necessary financing.
Along with 22 founding members, key staff will include; Barry Riddle as General Manager, and part owners: Steve Prosowski as Director of Tennis, Craig Marshall as Director of Junior Tennis and Paige Hiatt as Director of Financial Planning and Controls.
You can learn more about the Parker Racquet Club by visiting PARKERRACQUETCLUB.com.
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