Bobby Bayliss, Elite Professional
illustrious career began as a high school coach whose team became thestate champions; head coach, U.S. Naval Academy; USPTA National College Coach of the Year; Head tennis & Squash Coach, M.I.T. while theDirector of Tennis, Wellesley Country Club; Head Coach, Univ. of Notre Dame; Wilson National College Coach of the Year; Rolex Meritorious Service Award; U.S. coach at World University Games, Sheffield, England,team won gold medal; US Coach of ITA Collegiate All Star team, Tokyo, Japan; Blue Gray National College Tennis Hall of Fame, ITA National CollegiateTennis Hall of Fame; retired ranked #1 among all active coaches in career wins; presently Director Of Tennis Facilities, University of Notre Dame
Lee Ann Berning,USPTA Elite Professional
taught physical education in her native Fort WayneCommunity School system before coming to Wildwood Racquet Club as Head Tennis Pro. Honors includenine-time city singles champion,Hall of Fame member for Fort Wayne Tennis, Indiana High School Tennis Coaches andValparaiso University Athletic, plus a recipient of the USTA Midwest Cap Leighton Award, Lee Ann has served as a board member of the USTA Midwest Section management committee, Northern Indiana District President and USPTA Midwest DivisionPresident. Awards include Professional of the Year forIndiana and the Midwest Division. She has spoken atthe Tennis Teachers Conference and numerous USPTA Midwest and World Conferences.
Chris Chopra USPTA Elite Professional
Is a USTA certified High Performance coach. He directs the junior program at the Indiana University Tennis Center where he also assists with the Training for Career Professionals program. Chris serves as a Vice President on the USPTA Midwest board. He is a State Head Coach for the USTA/Midwest Section where he oversees high performance and early development camps for all juniors under 14 years old. He is also a member of the Prince National Team.
Will Cleveland, USPTA Master Professional
holds a degree in economics from Wright State University and coached men’s and women’s tennis with two NCAA national tennis championship participants and one AIAW All-American. He served as president of the Northern Indiana Tennis Association, a USTA Zonal Coach, NTRP Sectional Verifier and recipient of USTA Midwest’s Cap Leighton Award. For USPTA,he was Indiana President, Indiana Pro of the Year, Midwest’s first Facility Manager of the Year,a national certification tester and speaker at Midwest and World Conferences. He holds Hall of Fame membership in Ft. Wayne Tennis and USPTA Midwest Division.
Steve Contardi, USPTA Master Professional
is the Operating Partner at The Club at Harper’s Point, Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also the founder of The Contardi Tennis Camps and Tennis Fantasies with John Newcombe and The Legends. His group teaching systems and techniques have been recognized throughout the tennis industry. He is a member of the USPTA Midwest Division Hall of Fame, has coached numerous high school state champions. His 2005 Kings High School team won the Ohio High School Boys Team Championship as well as Singles and Doubles titles for which he was named National High School Coach of the Year.
Craig S. Jones, USPTA Professional
is the Director of Junior Play for USTA and is considered an industry leader in 10 and Under Tennis. In his role with the USTA, he oversees 10 and Under Tennis, Jr. Team Tennis, and 12-18 local play. In addition, he works closely with USTA Player ID/Development, and Coaching Education. Before joining the USTA, Craig was a Director of Tennis and club pro, working with hundreds of junior players from novice to national champions. He is a certified USPTA and PTR pro, a USTA High Performance Coach, and the owner of the Petersburg Racquet Club in Martinez, Ga.
Sam Kercheval, USPTA Elite Professional
is the 2012 Indiana Pro of the Year. A graduate of Indiana University with a Management degree, Sam is the Adult Program Coordinator at the Indiana University Tennis Center. He also coaches the Bloomington South High School Girls Tennis team which includes 2014 Indiana State Singles Champion Denise Azcui recently joined the IU Men’s Tennis Program as a volunteer coach. Sam is Co-Chair of the USPTA Midwest Under 30 committee and a member of the USPTA Under 30 National Taskforce.
Chuck Kuhle, USPTA Master Professional
has been the Director of Tennis at the Decatur Athletic Club since 1980. Kuhle is the President of the Decatur Community Tennis Foundation as well as tournament director of the USTA Pro Circuit stop in Decatur, Illinois. He currently serves as a member of the USTA Pro Circuit Committee as well as a Delegate-at-Large for USTA/Midwest. He has spoken at numerous USPTA National and Midwest conferences as well as authored articles for ADDvantage Magazine. He is a two-time USPTA Illinois Professional of the Year. He is married to wife Terri and has three children currently playing college tennis.
Larry Lauer, PhD, CC-AASP
is the mental skills specialist for USTA Player Development for juniors, professionalsand the national coaching staff. He has been a sport psychology consultant with elite tennis players from juniors through pros. He was an assistant coach and mental coach for Michigan State University‘s Men’s Tennis, helping the team reach the 2013 NCAA tournament. He was the Director of Coaching Education and Development in the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports (ISYS) at MSU, Larry conducting research on tennis parents, coaching, coach education, aggression in hockey, and life skills development in youth. Larry was the lead editor for the USTA Mental Skills and Drills Handbook.and named one of the 100 Most Influential Sport Educators in America by the Institute for International Sport.
Kamau Murray
As a graduate of the Chicago Public Schools, Kamau knows first-hand how athletic programs are crucial to Chicago’s youth during the most critical stages in their life.Kamau Murray began offering tennis coaching to 5 children in 2004.As the need for a program of its type became increasingly evident, XS Tennis was founded in 2008. Murray’s initial five students have gone on to win 17 national championships, 4 IHSA state championships and 27 students have earned college scholarships.Kamau is currently coaching 18 year old touring professional Taylor Townsend.
Mike O’Connell, USPTA Master Professional
is the Co-Director/Head Tennis Professional at the Indiana University Tennis Center overseeing the Tennis Training Program for Career Professional seeking a career in the tennis industry.Mike received his B.S. from Oakland City University and his M.S while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Germany.USPTA Midwest Division honors include Hall of Fame,Indiana Pro of the Year five times and Midwest Pro of the Year. He has presented at the USPTA National and Midwest Conventions, plusIHSTeCA Conference and written in publications, including Tennis Magazine. Nationally ranked in singles and doubles, he coached hundreds of students with National, Midwest and Sectional rankings. He has been sponsored by Prince and Nike and involved with numerous charities.
Stan Oley, USPTA Elite Professional
is employed by Playmate Ball Machines as their Product Marketing Specialist and founder of FBT60 (Fit By Tennis in 60 Days) a new tennis/fitness program combining nutrition and a series of ball machine drills. He is a member of the Cardio Tennis Global Speakers Team. Twenty-three of his 27 years teaching tennis at various clubs in Florida, he has taught with ball machines. He has performed seminars on ball machines at every USPTA division convention and presented at USPTA World Conferences and PTR International Symposiums. He also has performed ball machine seminars in five. He has also published drills and articles, beenfeatured on the Tennis Channel’s One Minute Clinic, “On-Court with the USPTA” and has three full length DVDs.
Bill Riddle, PTR and USPTA Elite Professional
is a veteran with over 27 years of college, junior and club coaching and management experiences. Bill spent nine years coaching college tennis, hadnine All-American players, many national singles and doubles rankings, was a two-time recipient of the USPTA Southern Division College Coach of the Year award and a two time ITA/ USTA College Coaches Community Service award. Additionally he was named TranSouth Conference Coach of the Year and Regional Coach of the Year. His college teams and players have had success both on and off court at the national levels.He was “on air” TV announcer and commentator for the WTA Tour Dallas Women’s Pro Tournament on the FOX Sports South Network and ESPN.
Craig S. Jones, USPTA Professional i
s the Director of Junior Play for USTA and is considered an industry leader in 10 and Under Tennis. In his role with the USTA, he oversees 10 and Under Tennis, Jr. Team Tennis, and 12-18 local play. In addition, he works closely with USTA Player ID/Development, and Coaching Education. Before joining the USTA, Craig was a Director of Tennis and club pro, working with hundreds of junior players from novice to national champions. He is a certified USPTA and PTR pro, a USTA High Performance Coach, and the owner of the Petersburg Racquet Club in Martinez, Ga.