Duties of the Membership Director:
The Membership Director is responsible for general membership issues including but not limited to processing membership applications, responding in a timely manner to emails from the members of the public regarding memberships, joining/renewals, and membership privileges, maintaining the membership database.
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Q&A with Matt Sicoli
(Q) When and why did you join MTG?
(A) I joined MTG in 2009 to fulfill my passion for tennis & meet others in the LGBT community who shared that passion.
(Q) When and why did you become the Membership Director?
(A) I became the Membership Director in 2010. While there are a myriad of reasons why people elect to join the Board, my intentions are to foster member’s talents as well as create a social & competitive environment.
(Q) What are some of the pros/cons of the Membership Director position?
(A) One of the biggest pros for me is that I am able to interact with present, past and future members and address their needs and concerns. Maybe it's part of my Italian culture, but I like to nurture and take care of others. As for cons, I would say that while you can try as hard as you can, you will not be able to please everyone all the time.
(Q) How long have you been playing tennis?
(A) Born and bred in NY, I started playing tennis when I was 8 years old. I was a decent athlete having played baseball, football, basketball and my mother thought tennis was a good, healthy sport for me to try. At that time, there was a free youth tennis program offered by the NYC Parks Department and I participated at Memorial Field Park in Flushing. I still can vividly remember the coaches (Terry and Andy) that ran the program and our "matches" against other local parks (Alley Pond, Cunningham, Crocheron) and the finals in Central Park. Sometimes our team had to wait for HOURS to play our matches but half the fun was the picnic our parents set up for us and the games we use to play. Looking back, it amazes me how we use to keep ourselves occupied with games of "spit" (cards), king of the rock," "box ball," "hit the stick" and more. Our team also attended outings run by the USTA and it was a real treat for us to meet Vitas Gerulaitis.
I quickly developed a strong passion for tennis and my friends and I took turns playing singles, doubles, mixed doubles for hours on end at the park. When we took breaks on the benches, we watched our friends play while drinking homemade ice tea out of large styrofoam containers we purchased at the local store for a $1. My skin turned so dark from the sun that my family often joked about whether I was their son.
Living in Whitestone, I went to the US Open as often as my parent's could afford to take me. My mom and I walked the grounds and watched the day session matches. On a few occasions, we were able to sneak into the night sessions and witnessed some incredible matches including one which was part of Jimmy Connors miraculous 1991 run at the US Open (fifth set tiebreaker win against Aaron Krickstein) on the field level steps of the Louis Armstrong stadium.
My friend was also a ball boy for the US Open and he was able to get me in from time to time with his ID and having me wear his uniform t-shirt. I was absolutely terrified when I walked the grounds that I would be called on by one of the faculty to go on court. However, I was offered access which enabled me to see some of the players arrive or lounge about which was pretty remarkable.
After elementary school, I played tennis recreationally with friends. It was at the Dave & Buster’s Jockathon event in 2009 that I joined MTG since it seemed a great social forum to fulfill my passion and meet other members who shared a similar passion and belonged to the LGBT community. Since then, I have been an active member of MTG, participating in the Courts and Events Committee, Tech/Website Committee and Sponsorship Committee and I am proud to be the Membership Director.
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