By Ryan Borucki

One week from now I will be packing my bags to embark on my next adventure.

After 15 weeks at Royal Melbourne Country Club for my final internship, I am heading to my next destination, Denver. This has been a goal of mine since I enrolled in the Professional Tennis Management program in 2006. 

During this summer I have come to understand a great deal about the tennis industry and life in general. I have developed a teaching style of my own and become more confident in my teaching as well as playing. I have learned the importance of budgeting, but still need to put it to use. And I have experienced the benefits of networking.  

Now all of these things are wonderful and I will carry them with me into the future, but the most important thing I have learned this summer is that persistence pays off.  

Up until this summer I had been too willing to accept rejection, even if it hadn’t happened yet. Whether I’m on the phone, face to face, or writing a letter, I’d rather not “bug” someone than go after what I want. Obviously, there is a point where you need to let off the gas, but I was as close to that point as a shy boy at the 8^th grade dance.

I told my boss at the beginning of the summer this was something I needed to work on. I felt bad asking members if they wanted another lesson. I didn’t want to badger them and figured they would call if they wanted another one. And yes, some of them did, but the ones you called were taking a lesson the next day or even the next hour if you were free.

As I pushed through the summer and my boss pushed me, I began to put myself out there a little bit more. I came to realize that until someone said 'absolutely not' there was always a chance of my persistence paying off.

It wasn’t until this past Saturday that I had this epiphany. During my job search I had called lots of clubs in Denver and had left plenty of messages. Some of these clubs had responded and asked for my resume. I sent them and believed that was sufficient. I didn’t want to pester them. I would come to realize that following up showsm my interest and exhibits a “persistent” attitude.

Following a talk with my boss about continuing to call these places either until they said 'no' or that the positions were filled, I decided to do just that. I even called one of the guys that was supposed to have called me, but since he didn’t I figured I might as well make the effort.

A couple days went by--nothing. Then came Saturday morning and my caller ID displayed a Denver area code. On the other line was one of the head pros from a club I had contacted.

Long story short: I've gotten my foot in the door to ultimately pursue my dream of teaching tennis in Colorado. Now I can’t give all the credit to my encouraged persistence because without help from some great guys in the industry I wouldn't have made these contacts in the first place. But in the end, it was that persistent attitude that got me the eventual call back.

I'm heading to Denver without a full-time job, but my search continues. I'm hopeful that my persistence will pay off.