About Us

Where Fitness, Fun and Community Meet on the Court

At Guilford Racquet & Swim Club, we believe in more than just sports—we believe in building a welcoming community where members of all ages can stay active, connect, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Located in Guilford, CT, our club has been a premier destination for racquet sports, swimming, and family-friendly recreation for years.

Whether you're an avid tennis or pickleball player, looking for a fun summer camp for your kids, or just want to unwind by the pool, we offer something for everyone. Our state-of-the-art facilities, expert coaching, and vibrant social atmosphere make Guilford Racquet & Swim Club the perfect place to stay fit and make lasting memories.

We proudly welcome members and their guests from Guilford, Branford, Madison, New Haven, East Haven, Clinton, Deep River, North Madison, and Killingworth.

Join us and be part of a community that values active living, friendly competition, and year-round fun.

Guilford Racquet & Swim Club

A Community Built on Fitness, Friendship, and Fun

Sarah’s parents opened the indoor tennis club in 1973 for Mutual Tennis and bought it in 1977, expanding outside in 1978. Sarah was raised in the playroom and on the courts. In 2003, she began working full-time with her mother managing the club and learning the job. In 2015, she bought GRSC from her parents. Sarah plays a lot of tennis, a little paddle and pickleball, and is raising her four children (Wolf, Kurt, Penelope & Felix) with her husband, Andy, in New Haven.

Since 1983, Steve has been teaching all levels of Tennis at GRSC. He is widely regarded as one of Connecticut’s best teaching pros. Steve was a nationally-ranked junior and adult player and is now a top-level paddle player. During the summer, he is head pro at Sachem’s Head Yacht Club. Steve lives in Madison and has three sons: Steven, Sean, and Tucker.

An invaluable member of the team for over a decade, Leanne wears many hats to ensure smooth operations. She moved to Guilford in 1993, and she and her husband raised their two children, Will and Katie here. Before GRSC, Leanne earned her MBA and worked many years in medical school financing before “retiring”. Now she gets to “play” where she works and hang out with her friends at the same time.

Beth grew up in Guilford and raised her daughters, Emily and Kate, in the area with her husband, Matt. Having started in the playroom in 2004, Beth learned about the desk, customer accounts, and USTA. She is now both the GRSC Assistant Manager in charge of members accounts and is the club’s Adult USTA Coordinator.

Averi was born in New York and raised in Connecticut, where she played at GRSC as a junior player. Averi completed her undergraduate degree in Marketing, her Masters in Sports Management from South Connecticut State University and is a PTR-certified Adult and U10 tennis professional. She is the club’s social coordinator and lives in Madison with her husband, Justin.

A 30-year GRSC member, Sue-Ellen happily raised her family at the club, and joined the very first women’s 3.0 USTA team in Guilford in the 90’s. A decade later, as a 3.5 baby senior, she helped the Red Hots win New England Senior Sectionals. Travelling to Indian Wells to pay in Nationals was the high point in Sue-Ellen’s tennis career. Working at the club since 2010, Sue-Ellen still enjoys the fun and challenges of “loving to serve” at the front desk!

Chris has been teaching at GRSC for over 20 years and has been Head Pro since 2007. He has coached both Branford and Guilford High School girls teams since 2003, earning multiple coach awards. Chris developed several programs at the club, including Guilford Collegiate Showcase. He is PTR certified in Adults, U10, and performance Juniors. He lives in Deep River with his wife, Carolyn, and son, Jonathan.

Matt grew up in Guilford and has trained as a player at GRSC since the age of six. Both his parents are avid racquet players on both the tennis and pickleball courts. He competed in Division I for the College of The Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning his undergraduate degree in Economics in 2020. Having worked as an Assistant Tennis Pro at GRSC for years, including overseeing the Summer Park and Recreation, he is a natural fit to be on the GRSC team.

Michael was born and raised in New York. He grew up playing tennis and continued his tennis career at Webb Institute in Glen Cove, NY, earning his undergraduate degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Since moving to Guilford, Michael has been an active member at GRSC. When not on the courts, he enjoys travelling and spending time with family.

Matt lives in Killingworth with his wife, Stephanie and daughters Delaney and Mattea. He began his on-court teaching role at GRSC in 2007 while working part-time for the CT Open Tournament. Upon going full-time at GRSC, he became Junior Director in 2017, where he oversees all of our junior programming. Matt enjoys activities with his family, seafood and rooting for his favorite sports teams. Matt is a USPTR certified instructor and he also plays USTA for GRSC.

Melissa started playing at the age of six and has competed in tournaments in the Midwest, Florida, and abroad during her high school years. After attending the University of Colorado, she moved to Guilford in 1993 with her husband, Andrew, with whom she has two sons, Hayden and Harrison. Melissa has been teaching at the club since 2015 and is a PTR certified instructor for both youth and adult tennis.

Debbie has been a member of GRSC for over 20 years, competing on various USTA teams. Debbie’s love for tennis has been passed down to her two sons and granddaughter. As a Guilford resident for over 30 years, she enjoys everything the shoreline has to offer, including golfing, bike riding and spending time at the beach.

Jill was born and raised in Miami, FL. After college, she worked as a securities trader for a boutique NASDAQ market making firm. She now lives in Madison with her husband Mike, and their two kids, Lily and Jasper. At GRSC, Jill works at the desk, plans social events and is the Communications Director. In her spare time, she plays tennis, goes to her kids’ sporting events and hangs out with her family.

Christian Appleman is a Guilford resident and the current head coach of the UConn men’s tennis team. He is also a former assistant coach for the Yale men’s tennis team and has coached tennis and basketball in Division I athletics for over 30 years. Both of his children are GHS graduates, and his wife is the head coach of the Yale women’s volleyball team. Having been a pool member at GRSC when his kids were young, it is a treat to have Christian back as part of the team.

Kristen took up tennis when she was pregnant with her third child and she’s been hooked on the sport ever since. She joined GRSC as a member in 2017, and she loved the community so much that she ended up working here. During the school year, she spends her days in the classroom (teaching math to middle schoolers), but you can catch her at the desk on the weekends. She lives in Madison with her four kids, and if she’s not at one of their games, she’s probably on the court!

Pam grew up in Massachusetts, one of nine kids. She lives in Guilford with her husband, Bill, where they raised three children; Kara, Kyle, and Ryan. Having always played and enjoyed sports, Pam has played paddle since the ‘80s and is still an active tennis and pickleball player at GRSC. She joined the desk in 2016 and has since led the organization in our growing paddle program.

Jen grew up in Simsbury, CT playing tennis since she was 6 years old. She continued her tennis career at Assumption University in Worcester, MA. Jen holds PTR certifications for 10 & Under, 11-17 and Adult Development. She loves meeting new people and creating positive experiences for everyone, on and off the court. When she’s not teaching tennis, she enjoys cooking, spending time with her niece and nephew and shooting pool.

Lesly Wagner grew up in Indiana, and after living for a time in Pittsburgh, she and her husband Pete landed in Guilford, where they raised Rachel, Dave, and Grace. Always a tennis player and up for a challenge, Lesly launched CAPP at GRSC and has created and grown our successful pickleball program. When not on the courts, Lesly loves to travel and meet up with her large extended family.

Austin is a certified USPTA tennis teaching professional and worked at Fairfield County Tennis and Milford Indoor Tennis before landing in Guilford. He played high school tennis at Brookfield High School and college tennis at Western Connecticut State University, where his teams made the playoffs every year. When he’s not teaching or helping the North Branford Rec Department with youth tennis, he can be found playing tennis, as he belongs to several USTA league teams.

Alicia Carpenter grew up in Florida and attended the University of Central Florida, where she earned both a B.S. and a master's in management information systems. While at UCF, she also met her husband, Mike. Throughout her career, Alicia has worked for several major companies, including Accenture, Oracle, and Hewitt. She and her husband have three children: Kaitlyn, Sydney, and Logan. Alicia became a GRSC member in 2022 and joined the front desk team in 2024.

“Annie” has fond memories of GRSC as a teen growing up in Guilford. After college, she moved to Manhattan where she rose to VP at a prominent ad agency. She relocated to Atlanta and became a sought after public speaker, 3-time best selling author and adopted three children internationally as a single mom. A few years ago she reunited with her HS sweetheart and returned home to Guilford where she lives with her husband Jimmy, their dog, Sandy and rescue kitty, Emma.

Wendy was born and raised in Virginia. She and her husband, Chris, lived in Tennessee, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the UK before moving to Guilford. She was introduced to pickleball when her children, Mitchell, and Cassie, began lessons. Wendy immediately took to the sport. In 2017, she joined the GRSC team; her 12 years as an elementary school teacher translate well to teaching Junior Pickleball. When she is not on the courts, you can find her watching her kids at the hockey rink.

Jenn grew up in Milford and has been a lifelong CT resident. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from UConn in 2013, Jenn worked in the USTA New England office; she took up tennis and has been obsessed ever since. She coached at Milford Indoor Tennis before joining GRSC. Jenn has worked in public schools for the past three years and is now in graduate school full time studying Elementary Education. In her free time, Jenn loves to hike, watch UConn basketball, and play on a few adult tennis teams!

Maggie was born in Tennessee and moved to Guilford as a child. She completed her undergraducate degree in Geologic Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. After returning to Connecticut, Maggie joined GRSC in September 2023. In her free time, she enjoys painting, running and travelling. Her favorite places to travel are Bryce Canyon National Park and Monterey, California.

Eli grew up in Branford and played at GRSC as a junior. His tennis career began at Branford High School where Matt Fraenza was his coach. He recently graduated with an undergraduate degree in Biology from Wheaton College, where he played varsity tennis for all 4 years. He is a player on the Guilford 8.0 Mixed Team, Men’s 4.5 Team, and the 9.0 Mixed Team. Outside of tennis, Eli enjoys spending time with his family, relaxing at the beach, and staying active.

Allison grew up in Arizona, and received a BS in Nutrition, Wellness and Psychology from SCSU. As a graduation gift to herself, she earned her 200 hour yoga certification at Kripalu. Shortly after, Allison met Ralph and had two amazing boys. She has been working in the Guilford school system since 2011 and absolutely loves it! Working as the GRSC Camp Director means Allison is surrounded by kids, and the terrific GRSC community, both of which bring her joy!

Mauricio grew up playing on clay courts with his dad and his brother in Peru, competing in regional and national tournaments, which eventually led to a scholarship at Freed-Hardeman University, where he battled it out in the NAIA division. He resides in New Haven and when not on the courts, he teaches college-level dramatic writing and performance. In his free time, he enjoys bouldering, biking, swimming, and going on adventure hikes with his dog, Loki.

Jenn has always lived in Connecticut and is now raising her two children, Mia and Tyler in Guilford. Having graduated with a degree in exercise science and a Masters in Health Education from SCSU, Jenn has been a Phys Ed/Health teacher at Daniel Hand High School and actively coached swimming since 1999. In 2013, Jenn joined the GRSC team as the Pool Director and head swim coach, having received numerous accolades in her coaching career. When not teaching or coaching, Jenn is an avid gardener and loves her dogs!