The Game Plan Call
Free strategy session for racquet sports pros.
CourtSide.
Long-form conversations with the owners, directors, and head pros shaping racquet sports. Hosted by Evan Dechtman.
On the court.
Start Here, Episode 0
Introducing CourtSide
Why we are building this show, and who it is for.
Craig Bell, Bell Boy Sports
Co-Host, At The Net Podcast
Craig Bell spent 27 and a half years running the tennis program at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas. In 2024 he retired, moved back to Utah, and started over, selling padel and pickleball gear across the Intermountain region as owner of Bell Boy Sports. Craig is an RSPA Master Professional and co-host of the At The Net Podcast, closing in on 700 episodes with AJ Chabria. We get into starting in the sport in 1974, a 131 mph serve at the Jansen Fast Serve Contest, taking play at University Club Dallas up 300%, coaching his son Chris to a 4-time Texas state championship, and being a 6th generation member of the Chickasaw Nation.
Brandon Day, North Hills Club
Director of Programming
Brandon Day graduated from Ferris State's Professional Tennis Management program in 2022. Four years later he's the assistant director at a 31-court tri-racquet club, and he's not even 30. He got there by cold-calling Jarrett Chirico for an internship, starting at zero at Royal Oaks Country Club, and working his way from teaching pro to director of programming in under three years. We get into the real math of what young pros make, why burnout is a leadership problem, what certifications actually do for your career, and his goal to be a director by 28 in an industry where the average director is 55+.
Karen Schott, The Broadmoor
Director of Tennis
Karen Schott has been at The Broadmoor for 32 years. She started as a teaching pro at 24, spent 11 years under Dennis Ralston, a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion and International Tennis Hall of Famer, and took over the program in 2005. Her message to women looking to lead in racquet sports: find a mentor. Walk up to someone you respect and ask. 'Every woman in this business is going to say yes.'
Jarrett Chirico, North Hills Club / Founder, Directors Club of America
Director of Racquets
Jarrett Chirico grew up with a racquet in his hand. By eleven he was at the Bollettieri Academy on a full scholarship. By sixteen he was the top-ranked junior in America, playing all four junior Grand Slams. Today he builds racquets programs at private clubs and turns them into the highest-revenue departments in the building. He took Baltimore Country Club from $7,000 a month to nearly $100,000, grew Royal Oaks Country Club from $1 million to over $2.5 million a year in racquets revenue, and founded the Directors Club of America, a network of over 1,300 leaders across 400+ clubs. In January 2026, Jarrett moved to North Hills Club in Raleigh to take on his next challenge: 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, and 3 padel courts.
Sam Hitman, Gates Tennis Center
General Manager
Sam Hitman has been managing Gates Tennis Center since 1993. In 30+ years he's turned a public facility into the host of the country's largest sanctioned tennis tournament, launched two more facilities across Colorado, and built a scholarship program for kids who can't afford lessons. We get into the public-private partnership with The Park People, running three facilities at once, the real economics of public tennis, how he added quiet pickleball courts, and why he started teaching other people how to run facilities.
Julius Gavin, Tennis University
Independent Tennis Coach, Founder
Julius Gavin, known online as tennis.god, has nearly 90,000 Instagram followers, charges $1,000 for six hours of coaching, and claims he can build a complete tennis game in 40 hours. We get into the math behind the program, the fraud accusations, the real economics of driving thousands of miles with a trunk full of balls, and how short-form content converts a viewer into a paid client.
Andy Zodin, Columbine Country Club
Director of Racquet Sports
Andy Zodin on 15 years running racquet sports at Columbine Country Club, what a director actually does day-to-day, the ownership conversations that never go away, staffing teaching pros in 2026, and how private clubs are handling pickleball.
Evan Dechtman, TopSpin Digital
Founder
A short introduction to CourtSide: why we are building a long-form interview series for the people running racquet sports, what each episode looks like, and how to be considered as a guest.
About CourtSide.
CourtSide is produced by TopSpin Digital, the marketing agency built for racquet sports. Each episode features a 20-minute conversation with someone shaping the business of tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. No scripts, just the people doing the work, talking about what they've learned.
The Interview Series
CourtSide.