Meet the Member: Chad Twedt

Where are you from and what brought you to the Reno/Tahoe area?

I was born in Las Vegas, but my parents moved up here with I was three months old, so I might as well have been born in Reno. My dad always worked at casinos, and a job of his brought us from Las Vegas to Reno. My family and I moved to Pittsburgh, PA in 2012 so that my wife Roxie could do her residency and fellowship there, but we knew we would be moving back in 2019 when that was finished. Both sides of our family are on the west coast, and home is where the people are!

How long have you been a member of WTC?

I first joined WTC in June 2020 with a family membership. Back in 2012 and before, I didn’t know the club existed, and in fact, I wasn’t at all familiar with the world of adult USTA and club tennis. Getting my kids tennis lessons while in Pittsburgh (Glen Creek Tennis Club) is what introduced me to club tennis, so when we moved back to Reno, I knew to look for clubs in Reno.

What WTC or USTA activities do you participate in?

I play in bump doubles and the singles ladder, and I play tons of USTA, with sometimes as many as four teams going at once, including 18+ and 40+ 4.0 and 4.5 men’s teams, 18+ and 40+ 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0 mixed teams, and occasionally a combo team. I captain an 18+ and a 40+ mixed 9.0 team, and last year, my 18+ 9.0 team made it to semifinals at sectionals, losing to the team that won at nationals.

I’m also the WTC events coordinator, so I’m the one who runs the singles ladder and bump doubles. This sort of happened organically and accidentally. The ladder was originally not affiliated with any clubs. The WTC board noticed that the vast majority of people in the ladder opted to play their matches at Washoe, so when they asked me to require WTC membership to play in the ladder, I agreed it was only fair. As for bump doubles, I first made a spreadsheet that makes court assignments easy, and once it was working, I offered to run a small event with 12 players using the bump doubles format. When it worked, I offered to expand it to more players, and that’s when the WTC board asked me to be the events coordinator.

I also help WTC out by being the webmaster. Most recently, I was unsuccessful at preventing the board from also roping me into the role of VP. Any condolences are appreciated.

What’s your tennis story? How did you get started and what keeps you going?

I played baseball for eight years, and I damaged my arm taking pitching lessons the summer before I went into 9th grade, ultimately blowing it out during tryouts for the McQueen baseball team. This was lucky though, because it turns out tennis is a lifelong sport, while baseball isn’t. I tried out for the tennis team the very next week and barely made it as the worst player on the team. Luckily, the assistant coach at that time was Mike Stuartevant, a California state doubles tennis champ, and he gave me tons of instruction that I absorbed like a sponge. I worked my way up to #3 on the team by the end of my sophomore year, getting the “most improved” player award.

When I graduated from high school, nobody told me about the world of adult recreational tennis, so I really just played a few times a year until I got plugged into both club tennis and USTA tennis in 2013. I continue to play today because I have this unending desire to try to get to the ball and hit it over the net just one more time. Each time I succeed, the desire starts all over again, and I’m not sure if this obsession will ever stop.

Other than tennis, what is another favorite hobby? Can you give a recommendation for that activity? 

I guess I’m a movie fanatic, even to the point where I made an entire website that explains the Matrix movies. Some may have even noticed that my car has a license plate referencing this. If I exclude multi-part movies, my top 10 recommendations are: Edge of Tomorrow, Doctor Sleep (but you’ll have to choke down The Shining first since Doctor Sleep is a sequel), Interstellar, Gone Girl, The Martian, Oblivion, Beowulf, Argo, World War Z, and Midway. As for multi-part movie series, my recommendations would be Matrix, Bourne, Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Terminator, Lord of the Rings, Avengers, Harry Potter, Underworld, and Taken.

Who is your favorite professional tennis player? Why?

My favorite tennis players would be a tie between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Both of them have one-handed backhands like me, and both of them had a way of making the most incredible tennis somehow look easy. They were both so loose when they played.

Can you tell us about your family, occupation, pets, etc?

Many have met my three kids, Elenora (Ellie), Eva, and Theodore (Teddy), all of whom played tennis on the Reno High team. The girls are currently at UNR, very busy with school and both playing club tennis, but once that ends, I anticipate they’ll be involved in the USTA community. Teddy currently plays tennis at Reno High School, but already participates in the WTC ladder and bump doubles. My wife Roxanna (Roxie) is a doctor and loves to show West Highland Terriers at dog shows. Her dog Sevy was the #1 westie in the nation in 2024 and took best of breed at Westminster this year. We have quite a few westies at home.

I got dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and piano performance, and I got a master’s degree in piano performance, all from UNR. I am a piano instructor and composer. I especially love cats, but I don’t have any at the moment.

Any other fun information you would like to share about yourself?

I’m super into computers, building a new computer every couple years, and helped all my kids build their own. And of course, the piano is a huge love for me. I am excited to travel to Pittsburgh at the end of March this year (taking Ellie with me) to see my four-piano work, Cosmosis, performed by Piano 4te, a four-piano group who commissioned me to write the work. Those who want to learn more about my musical life can feel free to read this interview or visit my musical blog, Cerebroom.