The YMCA is proud to work with ProsToYou to bring Montgomery County’s most talented, experienced and certified pickleball pros and ambassadors to support pickleball at YMCA Bethesda Chevy Chase and YMCA Silver Spring.
Montgomery County Pickleball Pros
Paula Allevan
Paula comes as a seasoned tennis professional with an extensive background in the ITF and NCAA competition, now channeling her coaching finesse into the world of pickleball! Recently certified as a PPR coach, Paula not only loves teaching the game but is also fervently training to compete in professional pickleball tournaments, with her first one in March of 2024. In every session, Paula’s deep-seated passion for pickleball shines through, whether she’s teaching or training. She places significant emphasis on cultivating a robust technical foundation and shrewd tactical insights. For Paula, coaching is about holistic development, embedding tenets of self-belief, resilience, and conscientiousness in every player she guides.
David Gu
David Gu is a seasoned pickleball enthusiast and member with the USA Pickleball National Association. With a diverse background in tennis, table tennis, and badminton, David has won both Gold and Bronze medals in the Montgomery County ‘Rising Star’ 4.0+ men’s double tournaments. He is a certified PPR Pickleball Instructor, dedicated to continuous improvement through engagement with local 4.5+ Pro Pickleball players. With years of coaching experience, David provides invaluable guidance to beginner and intermediate pickleball players. Holding a Master of Music Degrees from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, David’s multifaceted talents extend beyond the court.
Coach Amine
Coach Amine is a highly skilled and dedicated tennis professional with over 30 years of experience as both a player and coach. Starting his journey in Casablanca, Morocco, he quickly excelled in competitive leagues, achieving top rankings in the Ultimate Tennis League (K-Swiss, Tampa Bay). A USPTA Certified Coach, he has developed players of all ages, notably guiding his son Ryan from a young age to a current UTR of 4.9 with multiple tournament wins. Coach Amine has also coached in high-performance programs, including the Montgomery TennisPlex and Cedarbrook summer camps, where he focused on youth fundamentals. Now coaching at the YMCA Bethesda and Silver Spring, he tailors programs to build confidence and skills in players at all levels. Additionally, Coach Amine is a PPR Certified Pickleball Coach, sharing his passion for racquet sports across both tennis and pickleball.
Ross Porter
Ross Porter is a certified coach with the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR). Over the past five years Ross has dedicated himself to helping players of varying ability to understand and practice basic pickleball fundamentals, improve their techniques and learn the most up to date game strategies. He has a passion for the game and truly enjoys watching his students move to the next level in their pickleball journey.
Kenny Roy
While Coach Kenny started playing Pickleball 3 years ago, he has already achieved great heights, having won multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze medals playing in Local and National Tournaments! His love for Pickleball and its community has now grown into his passion of teaching and seeing others grow on-court. His success on court can be attributed to his early athletic success starting when he attended DeMatha HS where he was an All American Football and Basketball player. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park on a Football and Basketball scholarship and earned All American Honors in Football. He played professionally for the New Orleans Saints and Semi-pro with the Baltimore Eagles. Kenny was a 5.0 Tennis player and played competitive racquetball in college. He started his coaching career by coaching his 4 kids in multiple sports. He coached Football, Baseball, Basketball, Softball, and Tennis teams at the highest level of travel youth sports for over 10 years. He looks forward to sharing his passion for pickleball and athletics to all at the Y!
Forrest Bankston
Forrest is a certified pickleball professional and also rated at the highest UTRP level (P4 – Expert/Pro). His recent tournament success has enabled him to earn a senior professional ranking. Forrest has his sights set high not only for his professional ranking but also for each student he comes across. He looks forward to sharing his skills with so many others within the YMCA community!
As a tennis player, he is also a USPTA Certified Teaching Professional and former NTRP 6.0 and Division I collegiate player and instructor with 20+ years experience, playing competitive juniors (8-18 yrs old) while maintaining high top state, regional, and national rankings in singles and doubles. He also served as a former member of the Junior Tennis Development Committee for the Georgia Tennis Association and partner in providing programming for the YMCA in Atlanta.
Tara Hodge
Coach Tara has been a pickleball player, ambassador, and certified PPR coach, with years of experience teaching players of all backgrounds along with her competitive play at local and regional tournaments. From the beginner level and beyond, she enjoys seeing each of her students continue to improve each day on court. She looks forward to continuing helping to grow the game for all ages and levels!
Stephen Ross
Stephen has been instrumental in growing the game at the county level through his leadership on the pickleball court, most recently as an instructor for Montgomery County Parks and Recs. With a focus on teaching the newest of players, he takes great pride in seeing each new player build the confidence on court to eventually play in a tournament or competitive format. Stephen looks forward to continuing helping new players find their way on the pickleball court!