Club honors tennis director

A who's who of Sarasota tennis gathered at the Bird Key Yacht Club on May 28 to celebrate Jackie Bohannon, the club's director of tennis who was recently named Tennis Channel's "Top Coach in America." 

Bohannon was in the running for Top Coach in America after making it to the top five in the country. She's transformed the Bird Key Yacht Club tennis program in the past year after being hired during the pandemic, and the club's tennis players adore their director. The club held a short party to commemorate Bohannon's win, complete with a cake frosted with a tennis ball. 

A fourth-generation Sarasotan, Bohannon had several friends and family present, from her grandmother Barbara Collins, who got her started playing tennis, to John Woods, the longtime pro at the Longboat Key Club where Bohannon worked for about 17 years. She was swarmed in swaths of congratulations for much of the night, and several friends came up to speak about her accomplishments at the club and as Top Coach in America. 

"We learned Jackie (Bohannon) is competitive and likes to win, and win she did," Vice Commodore Lisa Adams said. 

Bohannon's former fellow Sarasota High School tennis player and Sarasota mayor, Hagen Brody, came to celebrate his longtime friend in his official capacity. He presented Bohannon with a mayor's citation to recognize her achievements, recognizing her as a daughter of Sarasota. 

"I always knew I had a great community and great support behind me, but to see you all here today, I am just the luckiest woman," Bohannon said.