Discover Forked Lightning
Racquet Club
TENNIS • PICKLEBALL • PADEL
Forked Lightning Racquet Club and First Serve - New Mexico is a nonprofit partnership. This innovative venture will not only benefit First Serve and its students, but it will also generate funding for First Serve. Thanks to the generous support of Kimberley and Scott Sheffield, First Serve is creating a premier racquet sports complex that will provide a safe learning environment to help the children of Santa Fe learn tennis, life skills and receive educational tutoring.
Forked Lightning Racquet Club’s commitment to excellence starts with its First Serve - New Mexico program. FLRC will be home to First Serve, which was created by the late Eleanor Brenner over 20 years ago. Eleanor was a relentless force for the betterment of New Mexico's youth and together with a partnership with Kimberley and Scott Sheffield, the ability to have a safe haven for these children has been a true blessing and dream come true. The First Serve program will enjoy 3 multi-functional classrooms, a spacious administrative building, as well as access to the club facilities.
Currently planned to be completed by 1st quarter of 2025, the $15 million Forked Lightning Racquet Club indoor/outdoor complex will feature a custom designed year-round inflatable dome provided by Yeadon Domes. Our dome will have 6 CushionX tennis courts as well as 2 CushionX Pickle Ball courts. In addition to the indoor dome, our recreational options for FLRC will feature 6 outdoor CushionX tennis courts, 7 CushionX Pickle Ball courts, and 3 fibulated sand swept turf championship Padel courts. Club amenities will feature first class locker rooms with saunas, a state-of-the-art "warm up center" appointed with the latest workout equipment, tasteful retail offerings, and access to limited food and beverage.
Forked Lightning Racquet Club | First Serve – New Mexico will truly be a model of excellence and a center of aspiration for the city of Santa Fe and all of New Mexico.
“We always believed Santa Fe needed a first-class tennis center."
SCOTT SHEFFIELD
Image © Yeadon Domes
Be a part of the First Serve Endowment Fund
An Endowment for First Serve has been established recently with a goal of $5 million. We have raised $2.1 million to date including the match. Kimberley and Scott Sheffield, along with Sharoll and Bryan Sheffield, have graciously agreed to match dollar for dollar for every $1 match up to $2.5 million during this campaign. Every $100 contributed will be matched with $100. We need $2500 per child every year to cover the entire costs. Significant contributions to the Endowment will be recognized on site at the First Serve New Mexico Center along with a lifetime free memberships to the Forked Lightning Racquet Club.
If you’d like to make a donation to the Endowment, please contact us through the Contact form.
FLRC STAFF
Executive Director - T.J. Middleton is a former professional tennis player from the United States. T.J. attended the University of Georgia where he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1987 National Championship. He was the 1990 SEC Doubles Champion. He turned professional in 1990 and had a career that spanned 10 years before his retirement at the end of 2000. T.J. achieved a career high singles ranking of world No. 221, defeating ATP World #6 Tomas Muster, and his highest doubles ranking was world No. 63. He has competed in 15 Wimbledon Championships making the finals of mixed doubles in 1994 with top 10 WTA player Lori McNeil and capturing the Wimbledon Senior Championships with ATP top 10 player David Wheaton in 2004. David and T.J. also reached the Senior finals in 2005 and 2006. He has coached top ten ATP player Paradorn Srichiphan and several top 20 players. T.J. has also worked with many of the top WTA players. T.J. is well versed in running club establishments and will be working with the FLRC staff to provide the utmost in service and club offerings.
T.J. and his wife, Courtenay Chapman Middleton (Hall of Fame standout at the University of Mississippi, three time All-American, and WTA professional player), have a 14 year old daughter named Lyla, who is the number 1 ranked junior in the nation 14’s. In 2023 she has won three gold balls including both singles and doubles at the USTA National Hardcourt Championships in Rome, GA.
Our construction progress
Everyday the Forked Lightning Racquet Club takes shape. From the concrete being poured for the courts, to the framing of the new First Serve classrooms, FLRC is moving right along!
Become a FLRC member today!
The Forked Lightning Racquet Club is a private membership club and will start accepting early membership applications in Fall of 2024. Please contact our Membership Director Klaus Dlabik through our contact form for more information.