Jim Leupold, Neighbor

Meet Palm Desert Patch's newest blogger, Jim Leupold.

Jim was born and raised in the high desert of southwestern New Mexico. He began playing tennis passionately at age 8. After four years of college tennis, where he was named an Academic All-American, Jim joined the world's foremost tennis management company, Peter Burwash International (PBI, www.pbitennis.com). Since then he has played and taught tennis in 20 countries around the world. Much of the travel has been with the PBI Tennis Show, a hilarious and smartly choreographed extravaganza billed as the "Harlem Globetrotters of Tennis."   

Leupold has been named PBI&#39;s Most Improved Professional, PBI Professional of the Year and JW Marriott&#39;s Desert Springs Resort &amp; Spa&#39;s Customer Service Manager of the Year. He also at one time was co-owner of the world&#39;s longest continuous baseline rally at 15,848 shots without a miss or break, a feat that took nearly nine hours. Jim has a B.A in Journalism from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX.  <br><br>Since 1987, Leupold has worked as head tennis professional then director of tennis at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort &amp; Spa in Palm Desert. Under Leupold&#39;s direction, the tennis program has consistently been named one of the country&#39;s and world&#39;s top tennis resorts. The resort&#39;s tennis program caters to players of all ages and abilities, including a fun cadre of wheelchair tennis players.   

Leupold also writes song lyrics, sings Praise &amp; Worship at Christ of the Desert in Palm Desert, is heavily involved in cat rescues, and loves travel and writing.  

His blog will be a mixture of exposing tennis teaching myths, features of new tennis products and ideas and opinions about all things tennis, from tykes to the professional tours.