LAC Spotlight: Carlo Guariento

Meet Carlo Guariento, the Local Area Coordinator for Adult Leagues for the Fresno and East Bay areas. 

Q: What inspired you to become a volunteer / LAC?

A: I retired 3 years ago and was looking to get involved in activities I enjoyed doing, tennis was top of the list. Helping others navigate through the USTA/NorCal world and

becoming more familiar with rules and regulations was a goal as well.

Q: How long have you been a LAC for NorCal?

A: 2 1⁄2 years.

Q: Do you have any pets? If so, what type of pet do you have?

A: 1 dog and 2 cats. More importantly, married to a wonderful wife, Lori, who also plays

tennis (yes, we do enjoy playing mixed together) and we have 2 awesome kids, Stefano

and Daniela.

Q: Have you done any other volunteer work for USTA?

A: I’ve been on the NorCal Grievance Committee for a few years and help out at Sectional events as I’m able to, especially if held in the Bay Area (closer to where I live).

Q: Where is your favorite place to vacation?

A: Anywhere coast-side. If money was no object, Italy.

Q: Do you play tennis? If yes, how long have you been playing?

A: Yes, although not as much as I’d like to for the last several years due to knee injuries.

Started playing USTA 8 years ago and have been captaining for 5 (only 1 team at a

time, however, no idea how some captains manage multiple teams at once). When the

USTA was on-hold at the start of the pandemic, formed Team Tennis informal leagues

for over 350 people. This carried over into weekend Round Robins several times a

month which are still going strong. Bottom line, plenty of other opportunities to play.

Q: Favorite foods?

A: Italian.

Q: What are some of the challenges you have faced being a LAC?

A: of rules, not always easy to find the obscure ones, but there is a great team of

NorCal employees that can help and many online resources I never knew existed. I’ve

learned a lot by doing it.

Q: Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for a new LAC?

A: Answering questions is not that time consuming and all done via email. Don’t feel like you have to have all of the answers but also don’t wait too long before responding, even if just to let them know you’re looking into it (put yourself in their shoes, they would not contact you unless help was needed). If anyone was considering being a LAC and wanted to chat, just reach out (4norcaltennis@gmail.com). It’s a satisfying role and I know players, captains and NorCal appreciate it.

Q: Who is your favorite professional tennis player, male, female?

A: Federer was my favorite but now I tend to pull for the young Italian talent. Yes, I’m very biased 😊

Q: What other suggestions or advice would you like to give to players?

A: Play your level. We all want to win, but fair competition with good sportsmanship makes it much more enjoyable for everyone on the court. Also, keep tennis in perspective; no need to stress out over a match, it’s all recreational tennis as much as we’d like to think otherwise. Knowing some basic rules and etiquette goes a long way in alleviating conflicts as well, I’d keep this document in your tennis bag: LeagueMatchEtiquetteTrifold-Letter-Yellow.pdf - Google Drive