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By NANCY MORGAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 24, 2000
When Carl Gavine was performing his radio broadcasting duties, the Englishman wished he could participate in the action.
Trained as a play-by-play man by the British Broadcasting Company, Gavine was assigned primarily soccer and horse-racing events.
"I got to the point that every time I was sent to broadcast soccer," Gavine said, "I would find myself wishing I was on the field instead of in the booth."
Gavine, born in Wallasey in northwest England, took tennis lessons until he was able to outplay the local pros.
Then, Gavine was itching to try something different in his life.
A 1984 trip to the second largest summer tennis camp in the U.S. led to Gavine being hired as an assistant teaching professional at the Blue Star Camp in Hendersonville, N.C.
He worked under Abe Revman, who taught former professional player Brian Gottfreid when Gottfreid was 8 years old.
Gavine made a return trip to the camp in 1989 to serve as its director.
"I joined the Peter Burwash International Company in 1985 and trained at the Woodlands near Houston," Gavine said. "My first assignment was the Hyatt Regency Resort in Cerromar, Puerto Rico."
Gavine spent a year in Puerto Rico, where he gained more tennis experience and met his wife-to-be, Ampara.
Then came an invitation to direct tennis at the Jumby Bay on a private island in the Caribbean. Gavine and his wife remained there two years while Gavine served as the site's first director.
Another directorship in the Caribbean -- this time at the Colccoloba Plantation -- included a head coaching position with the Anguilla National Junior Team.
"After I had gone back to the Blue Star Camp in 1989, I returned to England and spent two more years at the South Shore Lawn Tennis Club," Gavine said.
"I decided to move to west central Florida since that was where Bollettieri and Harry Hopman were based and there would be a strong player base," Gavine said.
He took a tennis coordinator's position with Billy Stearns at the Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club in 1991, and remained there until '93.
An opportunity opened at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in 1993 that Gavine accepted. For the last seven years, he's served as the tennis director for the resort in Clearwater Beach, working 60-100 hours a week.
"I really like the combination of teaching local players and hotel guests," said Gavine, 41. "It keeps me fresh in my teaching.
"I'm probably a workaholic. In seven years, I've taken one week off work."
Some of Gavine's local students include juniors Amanda Becker, Philip Barlow and Billy Stagg and women's Stars, Suns and Stripes, which is based at the Sheraton and competes in the Advantage Ladies Tennis League.
Gavine offers private and group sessions for all levels -- including his 9-year-old son, Carl -- as well as after-school tennis and league team practices on the three hard courts at the Sheraton.
In last weekend's SPTC Super Series at the St. Petersburg Tennis Center, Becker won her age division and Barlow and Stagg were runners-up.
Becker upended the girls 14-and-under No. 1 seed to win in the final, 6-4, 6-4. Eighth-seeded Stagg won four straight set matches to reach the boys 14s final.
Barlow, seeded No. 2 in the boys 12s, was plagued by rain delays and playing postponements. He withdrew in the final because of traveling plans back to his homeland of England.
"Amanda is Pennsylvania's 16s champion and was also the winner in the 14s," Gavine said.
"I've worked with her about two years whenever she comes here. Her family wants me to take her on the pro tour when she's ready," he said.
Barlow, who trained with Gavine two years, hopes to develop into a pro player and, like Becker, has asked Gavine to work with him to prepare.
"I've been with Carl since Christmas two years ago and feel his coaching has helped me improve my game," said Stagg, who begins his sophomore year at Tarpon Springs High School today.
"I think he has a really good knowledge of the game, and he doesn't have to yell at you to get his point across," Stagg said. "He's gentle but firm in his coaching, and I have definitely improved."
Gavine's dedication to teaching tennis doesn't leave much free time for the Englishman who admits to being a huge Bucs fan.
Even though he's working during Tampa Bay's football games, Gavine says he tapes the action and views it later.
He's never been tempted, however, to return to broadcasting -- not even to report on his favorite team.
MORE SUPER SERIES: Natalie Tirapelli of St. Pete defended her top seed to win the girls 18s division championship in the St. Petersburg Super Series Tournament.
Dunedin's Alvaro Nunez, unseeded in the boys 18s, won the singles title without giving up a set in four matches.
Oldsmar's Ryan Buchanan, seeded fifth in the 16s, was a finalist and challenged No. 1 Konstantin Lazarov of Tampa to three sets in the final. Palm Harbor's Tim Shadrick reached the boys 18s semifinal round, as did Morgan Frank of Oldsmar in the girls 12s.
Juniors will travel to Jacksonville to compete in the ranking season's fifth state-sanctioned singles tournament, Sept. 2-4.
ONLINE: Summer results of the On-the-Line Tennis League include winners Tammie Leake in the 3.5-minus division, Wendy Wright in 3.5 and Debbie Volinsky in 4.0-minus.
On the men's side, Roger Kimball was a 3.5 victor. Anne Hamilton and Eric Watson won in mixed doubles.