Mar. 3—MOULTRIE, Ga. — Moultrie-Colquitt County Parks and Recreation Authority recently hired Jason Goldman-Petri as tennis director to grow their program by offering lessons and organizing tournaments throughout the year.

Goldman-Petri's hiring fits in conjunction with the completion of the renovation project converting two of MCCPRA's tennis courts into five pickleball courts.

Currently, if someone wants to take advantage of the tennis or pickleball courts, the option is to bring personal equipment and players with them. The courts are available from sunrise to when the lights on the courts turn off at 11 p.m.

"Bringing someone to the staff that could help the program become more than just being open to the public is going to be great," said Recreation Authority's Athletic Director Maggie Davidson. "I feel like with his skill set, we will now be able to not only offer the leisurely side of the sport, but also the competitive side."

Though he plays and has a teaching certificate in both sports, Goldman-Petri's primary sport is tennis. He has been playing since he turned 13. He even competed at college with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and got his teaching certificate before he graduated.

"I remember very vividly as a kid, I was playing basketball and one of the kids had a growth spurt," said Goldman-Petri. "After the game one of the parents came up to me and said I had played really good defense but there was nothing I could have done because of how tall he was. I remember thinking, 'If that's all it took for someone to be better than me, then I don't like this sport.' "

Goldman-Petri went on to explain how one of his favorite aspects of tennis is that every advantage comes with a disadvantage.

"The thing that really drew me to tennis is the fact I'm short," said Goldman-Petri. "I have a disadvantage for being short, but I have a natural advantage too: I'm left handed. It is an advantage in tennis and one I like to exploit."

Throughout his career, Goldman-Petri has worked hard to receive several tennis certifications, including: USTA High Performance; ITPA Certified Tennis and Performance Specialist; and Master of Tennis and Performance with PTR, which requires over 10 years of coaching both national and internationally ranked players to even be eligible to apply.

"Not many tennis teachers have the certifications that I have," said Goldman-Petri. "I have what would be considered the equivalent to a master's degree, but in tennis."

Goldman-Petri also has his personal training license and is certified in CPR and first aid.

"I'm really excited to be here and get to do this," said Goldman-Petri. "I prefer working with parks and recreation over country clubs."

Before coming to work in Colquitt County, Goldman-Petri has had a plethora of tennis jobs.

He has been the head coach at both Stevens University and the IMG Tennis Academy, which is one of the top sports academies in the world.

Goldman-Petri definitely has the paper records to back up his ability, but the skill of the game isn't the only thing he takes into account when coaching.

"I think it's something so needed in this world," said Goldman-Petri. "Learning that being a good person and being a good competitor are not mutually exclusive. You can be gentle but still play fiercely. I think anyone that has seen me teach would tell you I have so much of that built in — using good morals and characteristics."

Goldman-Petri will be offering both private and group lessons, which will be capped at eight people per class to maintain instruction quality.

"Tennis can be an expensive sport when it comes to training," said Goldman-Petri. "It's always been the Parks and Rec's priority to try and keep the cost as responsible as possible. The goal is to get as many people involved in the sport as humanly possible."

Right now, private lessons are $55 and group lessons are $15, both for one hour of instruction.

No matter what the private session is booked for — solo session, doubles, or even a small group of friends — the price remains the same.

Group lessons will be taught Saturday mornings beginning in April. As they are designed to snowball off each other when growing a player's skill, dues for group lessons will be paid in one sum at the beginning of each month.

Signing up for lessons is as easy as going to mccpra.com and registering.

Though they are starting with lessons, there are already discussions to bring in classics and tournaments.

"When you run a fully functional tennis program it's more than just teaching for sure," said Goldman-Petri. "A big part of coaching is to help navigate the competitive pathways. That's why it's important we [MCCPRA] host USTA based tournaments so people can get into it in a confident way."

The Recreation Authority will provide both youth and adults with lessons and organized tournaments.

In addition to now having the ability to get lessons and participate in tournaments, tennis players will soon also be able to get their racquets re-stringed at the Recreation Authority as well as purchase equipment through the new Headpin program.

"The inventory will be in stock, and it will allow us to offer a lot of different items," said Davidson. "Plus, with this new program, we will be able to provide things, like balls, at a cheaper price than anywhere else."

That's a good thing too. When taking lessons, due to the quick rate that tennis balls wear out, athletes will have to provide their own.

However, to make this convenient, MCCPRA will have the option of providing the balls in exchange for a couple extra dollars per month.

Intending to hit the ground running, Goldman-Petri is already putting tennis events on the schedule.

On March 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Recreation Authority, there will be a "meet and greet "with Goldman-Petri, his wife and three young children.

Later in March, for St. Patrick's Day, Goldman-Petri will be hosting his first classic at MCCPRA. Though the details are still being finalized, the idea is to have this event's entry fee be a potluck style dish and not money. The idea isn't to raise funds, but to gather interest in the program and to get people playing.

"I am really big on the community feeling like the tennis complex is a place to hang out with friends," said Goldman-Petri. "That's the whole point."