Luis, Héctor and Jorge, three professionals with different backgrounds were introduced to beach tennis in the early 2010s. At the time, both the Isla Verde Beach Tennis Club (IVBTC) and the Puerto Rico Beach Tennis Federation (FTP) were breaking ground. Luis had been active with the IVBTC for some time before Héctor and Jorge started playing with him, also in the settings of the FTP. Soon enough, the three of them struck up a friendship and jointly got involved in some form or fashion in the directive bodies of these two amazing groups, assisting both organizations to grow and expand their respective memberships.
Jorge and Héctor joined the directive body of the FTP in early 2014. Jorge presided for a short period since his professional career took him to the city of Chicago. Héctor then acted as president for almost 3 years working in tandem with Luis who oversaw the finances. Both continued to be involved with the FTP managing the membership, organizing tournaments and providing alternate activities such as special events and free clinics to new and established FTP members.
During this period, Luis also became the President of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the International Beach Tennis Federation (IFBT), one of the two most respected international beach tennis associations. At the time, the main IFBT event created by Luis was the now famous “Beach Tennis Extravaganza”, which had always been hosted by the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort and completed its fourth edition at Condado. Soon enough, Héctor joined him as vice-president of the PR IFBT chapter, and both expanded the work of previous beach tennis leaders in creating amazing tournaments and events utilizing the IFBT ranking system. Some of these tournaments are the “Beach Tennis in Paradise” held at Arecibo Puerto Rico and the second edition of the “Beach Tennis Extravaganza”. Jorge was still in Chicago but any time he could, he always lent a hand, or better said, a voice, to the events created by Luis and Héctor, establishing the roots of “Casper, the Ghost of Beach Tennis”.
Héctor, always the visionary, was looking for the “next level” in the beach tennis scenario. Based on his beach tennis experience and how the sport had profoundly changed his lifestyle in a positive healthy manner, he created the “Beach Tennis Life” logo. In the beginning, his intentions were merely to share hats for friends who would join him in tournaments or events, but soon enough his vision was expanded by an invitation to create one of the most unique Beach Tennis events ever held: the “Beach Tennis Dream” at Water Island, US Virgin Islands.
Luis and Héctor were engaged by Lisa Bonanno, owner of the famous Dinghy’s Beach Bar & Grill in Water Island, to create and 8-court tournament in this beautiful strip of beach in the Caribbean. Immediately, they called Jorge (aka, Casper) to provide entertainment and narration during the event. The tournament sold out in mere days, at least three months ahead of the event day. 150 participants enjoyed this spectacular setting in family and camaraderie. The tournament more than fulfilled Lisa’s Dream to bring beach tennis to her remote island.
This event spiraled the creation of BT Life. As the lifestyle expanded, the “suits” realized that marketing and advertising experience was needed. Enter Roberto “Coqui” Echevarría, a newcomer in the beach tennis scene who was making immediate headway in 2018-19 at the advance level. At such time, BT Life was creating the “Beach Tennis Extravaganza 3” at St. Regis Bahia. Luis sought the services of Coqui who has an advertising firm. Coqui’s passion for the sport and his event-planning experience were key to the success of the Extravaganza 3, the first tournament in Puerto Rico with all-high caliber Pro Players and big prize money. This tournament established the precedent for all big-format tournaments to come into the Island.
In 2021, Coqui’s expertise was also fundamental in the creation of the Puerto Rico Beach Tennis Championships, the first beach tennis tournament paired with a professional golf event, the PGA Puerto Rico Open. It was clear that Coqui shared the same approach and enthusiasm held by the rest of the BT Life partners and, from there on, he was made the fourth “suit” of BT Life.
Together, Luis, Héctor, Casper and Coqui continued the development of amazing events such as the Beach Tennis Dream II and III, the Beach Tennis Championships II and the amazing Palomino Beach Tennis Open, the first beach tennis tournament held on a private island in Puerto Rico. In 2022, BT Life organized the now legendary Beach Tennis Extravaganza 4, the only tournament in the World with $100K Prize purse, bringing the best players of the World to the sands of Condado, Puerto Rico and the La Concha Hotel. In 2023, BT Life created the groundbreaking Junior’s Tour, in collaboration with the Sports and Recreation Department of Puerto Rico.
As beach tennis evolves, BT Life continues to provide the best events on the Island, keeping the true vibe of beach tennis alive. Fun on the Sand and camaraderie, let us live the life…Beach Tennis Life!
