Chris grew up in Easton PA (Forks Township) but lived at Northwood Racquet and Fitness Club!  Growing up, tennis was a family affair and at one time or another each member worked at the Club.  Her mother, Helen, coordinated all of the leagues and set up all the tennis contracts, her dad, Quentin, worked desk on the weekends and her two brothers, Jim and Scott, strung racquets and did maintenance on the weekends.  So needless to say, she was always at the Club!

For four years, Chris played for Easton Area High School and at Northampton Community College for two years.  Her passion for the sport turned to helping others learn the game, which she had been obsessed with for so many years.  Her next step was to study under Bob Osipower and Chris received her USPTA certification; that was in 1987 and she has not regretted one minute of it!  She was the Head Pro at Shawnee Racquet and Fitness Club from 1989 - 1991 but soon returned "home" to NRFC.  She has been with Northwood since 1984 as an instructor and full-time with Pro status since 1991.  Chris also took her knowledge and skills as a coach to Nazareth High School in Nazareth PA where she coached both the Girls and Boys teams from 1991 - 2000.

In 2000, Chris was honored to be named Middle States Pro of the Year!  She now resides in Bethlehem PA with husband, Raymond, and their daughter Georganna...who will soon be introduced to the game!
 

Jim Lynn is a USPTA Level I tennis pro.  He was named Eastern Pennsylvania District Pro of the Year in 2008 and has held both USTA national and USTA sectional rankings.  Jim is sports science certified.  He has worked at NRFC since 1996 and enjoys developing all levels of players.  Jimmy resides in Bethlehem PA with his wife, Eileen and their three children.

Sarah's father got her involved with tennis when she was six years old. The family moved to Pennsylvania when she was eight years old and she began taking tennis lessons from Craig Cronrath at the of age 12.  She competed in Middle States junior tournaments from ages 12 - 18.  During her freshman and sophomore years at West Virginia University, she played 5/6 singles and #2 doubles.  In 1998, Sarah was awarded Most Improved Player and Athlete of the Week for the WVA University.  She finished her tennis eligibility at Texas State University where she played 1, 2, 3 singles and #1 doubles.  She was also the team Caption and MVP for the 2000 - 2001 season.

While completing her last year of college, she worked as a tennis instructor at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, TX and worked with the adult weekend camps and spring break junior camps.  After graduating, she took a job at the Bill Adams International Tennis Academy, where she worked with the junior academy clinics and taught private individual lessons.  Sarah has also served as the Assistant Women's Tennis Coach at Moravian College.  In 2003, she became the Director of Tennis for the Embrace Your Dreams organization, which teaches urban youth tennis skills, core values, and life skills.  In 2006, she became the assistant men's and women's tennis coach at Lehigh University.

Sarah started at NRFC during the summer of 2007.  She states, “NRFC offers a lot of diversity. We instruct some of the top junior players in the Lehigh Valley, but also have a strong group of beginning young players that have the potential to be awesome in the near future!”  She also enjoys working with the adult players that so passionately love the game.  In 2005, 2008, & 2009 she represented NRFC as a Pro at the Annual Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser Pro Am Tennis Tournament.

Currently, Sarah resides in Bethlehem PA.  She has completed her Masters in Education and a secondary social studies certification.  In addition to beginning a teaching career, she will continue to play and coach tennis.

Allie grew up in Northampton PA and enjoyed working out so much that she decided to help others get into shape and stay healthy.  She has been with NFRC since 2007 as a Personal Trainer and Spin Instructor.  Allie is an AAAI/ISMA certified Indoor Cycling and Group Fitness instructor.  In addition, she has an AFPA certification in the following disciplines: Personal Trainer, Nutrition Specialist, Stability Ball Training, BOSU Ball Training and Kettlebell Training.

In 2001, Allie was the first place winner in the BodyLogix Body Transformation contest!  She presently resides in Pen Argyl PA.

Michelle is from Belleville NJ and has been a member of the NRFC since 2006.  She started cycling in 2007 when NRFC introduced the cycling program and hasn’t looked back!  Her instructor at the time was extremely motivating and inspiring and became her mentor. It is ultimately what encouraged Michelle to make the decision to become an instructor and today she strives to motivate and inspire members to become fit and healthy.  Michelle said, “I look forward to helping you reach your fitness goals!”

Michelle is a certified AAAI/ISMA/IFTA cycling instructor and in addition, she is certified in following areas: CPR/ AED certified, AAAI/ISMA/IFTA.

In her non-instructor hours, Michelle works full-time as a Customer Service Analyst at Crayola LLC.  She has been with the company for 15 years and serves on the United Way Campaign.   In 2005, she was honored with a volunteer award  “Always There When You Need Them” for Crayola, LLC.  Michelle currently resides in the Easton area.

Suzann was born and raised in Bethlehem PA.  She has always been a very competitive, athletic person.  A self-professed “tomboy at heart,” Suzann shared a story that in her early teen years one Christmas, she received both a BMX Bike and makeup as presents!  She was always involved in organized sports throughout her school years but after college, her life became less active and she gained about 40 lbs.  It was at that realization she decided to get back to moving – physically and within 9 months she lost the weight!  Wanting to stay fit, she joined a gym but found it to be an uninspiring experience.

Suzann’s mom has been a NRFC member since it opened in 1975 and mentioned that there was a new program at Northwood called “Spin” and she must give it try because she would love it…she was right. Two years later, Suzann is one of our very own spin instructors; her mom and brother both attend her classes on a regular basis!  She has since earned her AAAI/ISMA certification in indoor cycling.

Suzann and her brother are third-generation owners in a small family local business.  She currently lives in Bath PA and will be married in November 2009!

Autumn grew up in Riegelsville PA.  While in college, she enrolled in a Van Der Meer Tennis University Course – a tennis teaching/coaching program.  The course was held at NRFC, which provided the opportunity to utilize the facility and meet many of the staff.  As a result of that course, she decided to continue playing tennis at NRFC.

In 2003, she took a position with NRFC as a front desk attendant and in 2007 became an instructor.  She is also one our technicians for stringing racquets.  While working at the Club, she took a few spin classes and was hooked! It was then she decided to become certified and earned her AAAI/ISMA/IFTA certification as an Indoor Cycling Instructor..  Autumn has said, “I continue to instruct because I find it extremely rewarding.  Watching either a novice or expert to press themselves towards achieving a goal they've set for class is my motivation to show up for a class at 6:00am!”

Autumn is a full-time employee for the County of Northampton and currently resides in Bethlehem PA.