Voices of RSPA: Steve Contardi

In the first edition of our “Voice of the RSPA” series, RSPA long-time member John Weil sits down with Steve Contardi – RSPA Master Professional and Midwest Division RSPA Hall of Fame, and operating partner at The Club at Harper’s Point in Cincinnati – to talk career longevity, the power of professional credibility, and what it means to treat coaching as a true profession.

John Weil: Steve, tell me about your current position and business.

Steve Contardi: I’m the operating partner at The Club at Harper’s Point in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the president of Tennis Fantasies with John Newcombe and the Legends, which has gone international in the last five years. We’ve been running Tennis Fantasies for 38 years.

John Weil: How long have you been a member of the Racquet Sports Professionals Association?

Steve Contardi: I joined the Racquet Sports Professionals Association when it was still USPTA back in 1968. So do the calculation. That’s what? 57 years.

John Weil: What was your motivation for joining?

Steve Contardi: My motivation was really very simple. I have to give a shoutout to the late, great Cary Bachman from Milwaukee. I coached against him in high school, and he encouraged me—as a young buck—to get involved with the association, and I did.

My motivation was that I was, at best, a very average tennis player, having played at the tennis powerhouse of Northern Michigan University. Our spring trip was to St. Norbert College in Green Bay, Wisconsin (chuckles). So, I didn’t have thoroughbred breeding or a deep background in tennis, and I wanted to get involved. I thought that having those letters behind my name would give some credence to my ability to do something. I needed the acknowledgment that this organization says, ‘This guy knows what he’s talking about.

John Weil: What benefits do you get from your membership?

Steve Contardi: I’ll be the first to admit that over the last 20 years, I haven’t gotten as much out of it as I could have—and that’s on me. But early on, I was very, very involved. The seminars were especially important to me because I didn’t have a pedigree in tennis and had never taken a lesson. I didn’t play big-time tennis, so I got a lot out of the clinics. I also gained a lot from the relationships I built. Eventually, I had the opportunity to speak at many clinics, and that certainly helped me establish myself within the profession.

John Weil: And leads right into the next question, how involved did you get in the Racquet Sports Professionals Association?

Steve Contardi: I was pretty involved, though I never held a board or officer position. I’m not much for meetings and that kind of thing—I’m more hands-on. I did a lot of speaking engagements and presented at many, many Racquet Sports Professionals Association seminars. I even hosted a couple of seminars and testing events back in the late ’70s, when I first came to Cincinnati. My involvement leaned more toward that end—speaking and hosting—rather than serving in an official capacity. In that way, I was representing the Racquet Sports Professionals Association out in the field.

John Weil: Have you met new individuals through the association who are now part of your professional network? And how have they inspired or influenced you?

Steve Contardi: I certainly have. You go back to guys like Rick Vetter, Fernando Velasco, you, Bob Kust, Bob Breckenridge. You just think of some of the old-timers. If they didn’t start this association, they certainly elevated it back in the ’70s and early ’80s. There’s a real professional bond among those people. Every time I’m in Texas, I get a visit from Fernando Velasco. It’s those personal relationships you build. You end up sharing thoughts on a different level. More than anything, it gives you the sense that this is a profession, not just a bunch of hired guns out doing their own thing.

John Weil: You’re still very active—teaching, mentoring, and staying engaged in the industry. What are you hoping to accomplish next in your career?

Steve Contardi: My personal goals? First and foremost, to maintain the prominence of the tennis club where I’m an operating partner, and to keep our Tennis Fantasy business strong. Through the work we do, I think it’s important that guys like us represent the profession and continue to establish that—yes—it is a true profession.

We still hear people say it’s not a ‘real job,’ and that really gets to me. It’s important to show that tennis is a legitimate career. We provide a very, very good service.

I’ll tell you a little story that’s always stuck with me. This goes back 40–45 years. I was giving lessons to the chairman of the board at Procter & Gamble. One day, we were talking, and I told him I had come from teaching school. I said, ‘It’s kind of awkward that I make more money doing this than I did teaching, especially when my contribution to society as a teacher felt so much greater.’

And he said, ‘No, no, no, no, no. Don’t ever think that. What you do—the way you take care of our wives when we’re traveling, our children when we’re away—the relationships you build and the impact you have on not only kids but adults as well, don’t ever underestimate that.’

That really stuck with me. It reminded me that what we do isn’t just about hitting a ball over a net. It’s about providing purpose. That’s why it’s so important to me that people recognize this as a profession—a legitimate way to make a living.

So, if I leave anything behind when I ride off into the sunset, I’d like it to be that—again, I don’t love the word ‘legacy,’ but for lack of a better one—that this guy helped establish tennis as a respectable profession.

John Weil: Last question – what advice would you give a prospective or new member about the Racquet Sports Professionals Association?

Steve Contardi: Well, any association, club, or team you’re part of is only as good as the effort you put into it. If you just want to pay your dues and collect the insurance benefits, racket discounts, or whatever else comes with it, then that’s all you’re going to get out of it. But if you get involved, go to the seminars, engage with others—the real value is in the sharing of ideas and being around people who care about the profession. Some people are perfect for officer roles, some are great presenters, and some are solid soldiers. And we need them all.

Credibility is important. When I first got involved, that was a big deal for me. Having those letters behind your name means someone out there believes you know what you’re doing. That matters. So, get involved. I look back on my 57 years, and I was very involved in the beginning, less so now. It’s time for others to step up. I’m still here, but I may not be as effective as a clinician anymore. What I can be is a mentor, someone who can talk about management and building your business.

That’s something I preach to every young tennis pro: You’re no different than a doctor, lawyer, or stockbroker. You have to book your own business. It’s your business. You have to manage and cultivate it. Those are the things I want to pass on. I can sit here and say, ‘Damn, I had a hell of a good life because of tennis, and because I treated it as a profession.’ That’s what I’d like to pass on to people.

Steve’s story is a powerful reminder that coaching is a profession built on passion, credibility, and community. Stay tuned for more conversations with the leaders who are setting the hire standard in racquet sports.