HighFIVE: Nick Taylor
The following HighFIVE profile appears in the 2018 Spring issue of Colorado Tennis newspaper.
Nick took a meandering path to get into his role at the USTA Colorado, twisting and turning its way through different states and industries. After graduating Smoky Hill High School, then the University of Colorado (Boulder), Nick worked in the mortgage industry before finding his role as an elementary school teacher. He is now able to combine his passion for business, teaching and athletics with his role as League Coordinator. In fact, he was drawn to the role for many of the same reasons he wanted to teach. “For the junior players, I just want to expose them to as much opportunity as I can and to find out what their talents are.”
Growing up “playing everything” with a focus on both basketball and tennis, it was the pain of a rib injury that nudged Nick to put more focus into non-contact sports. He hadn’t considered that he could make a career in the world of tennis but found quickly that his new opportunity aligned well with his philosophy that sports should ultimately be enjoyable and that the whole focus doesn’t need to be on transforming all young players into top competitors.
“I really believe the USTA wants to make tennis more fun, and that their emphasis is on spreading the love of a lifelong, social sport that’s open to everyone regardless of skill level,” Nick said. He is particularly excited about the focus to get tennis into the physical education arena at schools. He explains that it gives exposure to a sport outside of baseball, basketball and football that they might not have had otherwise. He appreciates that schools are starting to incorporate tennis into events such as field day. “It’s exciting to see young kids try tennis for the first time and experience it in a fun, social setting.”
He also said that the same holds true for adult players who are either new to the sport or are veteran hitters. “Tennis is an amazing sport that they can play throughout their lifetime.” One of Nick’s favorite groups to speak with are the over-60 netters. “You can just hear the excitement in their voices to be part of the tennis community.”
Describing one of the challenges he faces in his role as a “big city problem,” Nick said the population growth in Colorado has caused some growing pains. While ultimately it’s a good problem, he explains that “we have a responsibility to make sure anyone who wants to play has a team to play on,” and that the growth doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Nick’s life mission to be of service to others comes through in his passion about helping all people find ways to live healthy, happy lives. He doesn’t just talk to the talk, either. He captains a men’s league team and plays in a mixed league. He also enjoys everything Colorado has to offer off a tennis court, including riding bikes, playing volleyball, and occasionally sitting down long enough to enjoy reading a good historical novel.
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