From the Agape Tennis Academy website

Known for its pyramid-shaped facility with a full-service pro shop at the peak, DeKalb Tennis Center is a premier public tennis facility located in Decatur, Georgia, Come check out DeKalb Tennis Center today and enjoy our inclusive, family-friendly facility and our first class programming.

Agape Tennis Academy (ATA) offers an range of tennis programs to players of all ages and abilities in the Greater Atlanta region.

ATA’s professional team of tennis instructors has years of experience creating thriving tennis communities at private, semi-private and public facilities across Georgia.

We at Agape Tennis Academy believe that, while you may not always be a player, you will always be a person. That is why our core beliefs, HEART, are at the foundation of everything we do. By cultivating these five beliefs, we not only produce winners on the court – more importantly, we produce winners in life.

Agape Tennis Academy has a rich history of success managing public, private and semi-private facilities. Agape is experienced in all aspects of tennis management and offers programming for everyone in the community. Agape has been voted the Community Outreach Organization of the Year, and won awards for 10 and Under Program of the Year, and Director of the Year from the Georgia Professional Tennis Association.

AMY PAZAHANICK, PTR & GPTA

Amy is the founder of Agape Tennis Academy. She enjoys reading, writing, coaching, learning, helping others, speaking, traveling, tennis, golf, business, music, and spending time with loved ones.

Questions for Amy Pazahanick

TCB: At what age did you start playing tennis and who got you into it?
AP: I started playing tennis when I was five years old. My mom got me into tennis. She was playing then, and she still plays on multiple teams in the metro-Atlanta area.

TCB: You played on the Coastal Carolina University tennis team. What did you do after College and before Club Corp?
AP: I graduated with a degree in Sports Management and played 4 years of Division I collegiate tennis, so the stage was set for a career in the tennis industry. I was very fortunate at a young age to know what I was passionate about and have never lost my drive or hunger. Upon graduation, I became a full - time tennis professional with Silvia Tennis Academy in Milton,
Georgia. I had a mentor in Heather Silvia who taught me about the business of tennis from the beginning. I became the Director of Junior Development at Silvia Tennis Academy until early 2012. In March of 2012, I founded Agape Tennis Academy.

TCB: What Club Corp facility did you work at?
AP: I worked at White Columns Country Club.

TCB: When did you decide to start your own Tennis Academy? AP: I started Agape Tennis Academy in March of 2012. I decided I wanted to have my own tennis academy before I graduated college and set a timeline for myself to do so.

TCB: What are your challenges at Dekalb Tennis Center and how do you overcome them?
AP: Fortunately right now we do not have very many challenges at DeKalb Tennis Center. Right now we are experiencing a tremendous growth period and have the infrastructure and staff to support it.

TCB: How can you compete in such a dense market as Atlanta, the biggest tennis hotspot in the world?
AP: Competition drives me. I am a super competitive person, so it is fun for me. I love competition as an athlete and I love it as a business owner. Competition is what makes me never stop improving and wanting to get better even if that competition is with myself. I love everything about being in Atlanta and being in a thriving, competitive environment. I am willing to work hard because I am doing what I am most passionate about- tennis and business.

TCB: How many kids are in your program currently?
AP: We have about 240 kids in our programs on a regular basis. We have had about 50 kids in each our summer camps... totaling about 500 summer campers this year

TCB: What distinguishes Agape Tennis Academy from the competition?
AP: Agape Tennis Academy was created to be a place everyone in the community can come and feel welcomed with unconditional love ( Agape is the Greek word for unconditional love). Our level of care, passion, and enthusiasm separates us. The enormous amount of love we put into what we do is something that people feel and notice. We have a culture that a lot of people want to join. Many of our students are long time students. Some of our students even become coaches in the Academy. Our staff and clients tend to become part of our large and growing Agape family.

The other big differentiator is our level of community service and involvement, locally and internationally. Some of the organizations we are involved with or have recently donated our time and resources to:
• Emory University Tennis Sports Medicine- Atlanta
• Heart for Africa- eSwatini, Africa
• Big Brothers Big Sisters – Atlanta
• Special Pops Tennis- Atlanta
• Hope Performance Tennis - Atlanta and Ghana, Africa
• Business Women Love Tennis – Atlanta
• Cool Girls, INC - Atlanta
• Metro Atlanta YMCA
• Sporty Girls – Atlanta
• Coach Wink’s NJTL - Atlanta
• Ron Clark Academy- Atlanta

TCB: Have you looked at adding pickleball? Since you are PTR certified, maybe utilizing the organization’s new Pick TEN program?
AP: Right now, people can play pickleball at DeKalb Tennis Center. We have paddles and balls. We have thrown down lines and
our staff is educated in the sport. Myself, Coach Moses Das, and Coach Joe Hill are all certified in pickleball. We have had a few pickleball events and hope to move to a more full-time program soon.

TCB: What is your tennis racquet of choice?
AP: The Babolat Pure Drive Lite.

TCB: Thank you, Amy Pazahanick.