Katy and Brad Sceney, tennis pros at The Paseo Club in Valencia have a love/love kind of passion for the popular sport and each other. The couple met on the court five years ago, married and spread the love of the sport, techniques and strategies to all of their students as they teach six days a week each.
Originally from Australia, Brad grew up with a racquet in his hand.
“When I was 3-years-old, my parents would drag me to the tennis club for Saturday afternoon competition so I’ve been in that environment for many, many years,” says Brad.
Dedication and a natural tendency toward the athletic side, Brad traveled the world after High School playing the Pro circuit.
“Balls don’t get by Brad,” says Katy proudly, “ He’s a strategy kind-of-guy.”
Somewhat blind to the interests Katy had on Brad when they were both Pros at a Calabasis tennis club, their love affair almost didn’t begin when Brad found it hard to find the difference between Katy and her identical twin sister. But, cupid struck and the couple dated two years, married, moved to the Santa Clarita Valley and now have a one-and-a-half year old daughter, Elle.
With a sense about how important the game is when learning life lessons, Katy remembers how the game built up her self-esteem in High School when it needed a boost.
“I didn’t think I was good enough,” said Katy, “My coach encouraged and pushed me and every time I stepped out on the court, it would build my confidence.”
Now Katy passes those lessons along to her students.
One of Katy’s students, a 4th grader at Legacy Academy, Julia Lynch was a ball girl at last years USTA Men’s Professional championships at the Paseo Club. She loved being up-close-and-personal with the Pros and is committed to the game, playing at least twice each week.
“I love Katy. She has been my coach for the past four years and has taught me to never give up. I’ve learned how important it is to focus at all times,” says Lynch.
She takes lessons learned from Katy on the court and uses them at school.
“I think about Katy and it gets me to focus,” says Lynch.
The Sceney’s dedication to tennis doesn’t stop with the students they teach, they want the residents of Santa Clarita to come out for what promises to be another round of fast-paced, exciting play with the some of the top-rated ATP pros playing at the 2nd Annual USTA Men’s Pro tennis championships at the Paseo Club. One of last year’s finalists was Benjamin Becker. Since then Becker reached the 4th round at the U.S. Open where he lost to Andy Roddick. Becker is best known for defeating Andre Agassi in the 3rd round, Agassi’s last match as a professional.
“We’re trying to grow tennis in the Santa Clarita Valley,” says Brad, who knows first-hand about tournament play from the challenges of touring before going to Pepperdine University on a full athletic scholarship and experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bond with his fellow tennis team players.
“You don’t want the competitiveness to overshadow the fun of the game,” says Brad, who remembers fondly how well he got along with his teammates on-and-off the court, something he missed during Pro tournament play.
If you’d like to experience first-hand the excitement of up close and personal tennis play, but don’t want to travel to Wimbleton, you can, at the Paseo Club this month.
For further information on the Men’s Pro championships, visit www.paseochallenger.com or call 661-257-0044. Dates for the tournament are April 7th through April 15th. You may be the next one to fall in love with the sport, either as a player, enthusiast or both.