Steve Pekich: Decades Promoting Tennis in Central New York

Tennis coach from Elevate Fitness DeWitt was president and co-founder Central New York Tennis Association. At 78, he still active in the sport

By Mary Beth Roach

 

Steve Pekich has been growing the sport of tennis for more than five decades.

“Steve has been such an ambassador for the sport,” said Mike Henty, tennis director at the Skaneateles Country Club, who has known Pekich for more than 20 years. Henty also credits him for helping him become a certified teaching professional.

“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know how involved I would be,” he said.

Henty referred to Pekich as a “tennis encyclopedia,” although he joked that since no one uses those reference books anymore, perhaps a better analogy would be that he’s like the Google for tennis.

Henty is just one of hundreds, if not thousands, who have benefited from Pekich’s expertise.

The 78-year-old Michigan native gave up a job in the advertising industry years ago to pursue his love for the game.

Pekich took up the game about 60 years ago. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in his home state, he went to work in advertising for two years, but he spent much of his free time playing tennis.

He decided to take a week-long course in how to teach the basics of the sport. He said he figured that if he could learn the techniques, he wouldn’t have to pay a tennis pro to teach him.

But he got a lot more out of that course than he figured.

“I found that I liked helping people out,” he said.

He first worked in a summer camp in Canada and then returned to the States and has since worked in such locales as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Chicago and California.

He has been a member of the United States Tennis Association, an adult league coordinator for 20 years; a USTA Eastern umpire; and a USTA Eastern board of directors, from 2003 to 2016.

Pekich came to Syracuse in 1995 and started at the club now known as Elevate Fitness in DeWitt. He had been a tennis pro there, but he said he is semi-retired although he still provides some instruction.

Over the past four decades, he has become a well-known figure in the tennis community here in Central New York.

He organizes league play among such area clubs as Elevate, Drumlins, the Manlius YMCA and Sedgwick Farms. The leagues give the players something to help them carry on in the sport, he explained, and it offers not only more opportunities to play, but provides a mix of competition and camaraderie, as well.

“You play for your team, you cheer for your team, and then you enjoy some refreshments afterward,” he said.

And you can play abroad, as he has — several times.

He enjoys how universal tennis can be. He pointed to the International Tennis Federation, where members can participate in tours all over the world. They’re open to all ages and abilities. He’s been to the Netherlands and Australia, and he’s played in New Zealand four times.

Pekich has also been introducing younger generations to the sport.

Naveen Singh, managing partner of Elevate and director of the gym’s tennis program, has seen the ways Pekich has grown the game, not only through the gym but through the Central New York Tennis Association, which Pekich cofounded. With this nonprofit, Singh said, Pekich has secured grant monies, which in turn, have been used to provide instruction and sometimes even equipment for kids in Syracuse City schools.

In addition, from 2007 to 2024, he ran the summer tennis camps and clinics for the City of Syracuse Department of Parks and Recreation.

And while some of his programs may focus on young players, Pekich believes that the sport can offer a great deal for those who like to remain active and engaged as they age. As he pointed out, it’s not a contact sport and players do not often have to contend with serious injuries. And since it is considered light exercise, it can be healthier than more heavy-duty workouts. It can be played regardless of age, as long as players are mindful of their skill level and lifestyle.

His advocacy, while winning players to the sport, has also earned him honors.

The USTA has presented him with numerous awards over the years, culminating with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 for his contributions to the organization.

In presenting the award, the USTA said he “has established himself as an indispensable member of the Western New York tennis community and has helped support a wealth of local USTA programming.”

He most recently received an award from the Eastern Racquet Sports Professional Association, an organization for tennis-teaching professionals.