MEET OUR COACHES!

Kenny Roy: Kenny is originally from Washington DC and 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, and then playing professionally for the New Orleans Saints.  As a lifelong athlete, Kenny also had a love and knack for racquet sports, playing tennis and racquetball at a high level. He started playing Pickleball three years ago and has quickly achieved multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, in various local and national tournaments across the country including most recently in the 2023 Masters National Tournament in Rancho Mirage California. His love for Pickleball and its community has now grown into his passion of teaching and seeing others grow and enjoy this great game.  Spending his winters teaching in California’s Palm Desert Resorts, he is excited to be here during the outdoor season to teach Cattail’s members!

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.

Greg Klein: Coach Greg grew up playing and teaching tennis at the highest of levels in Los Angeles and now finds himself (like many others) also immersed in playing and teaching pickleball! His success as a coach in both tennis and pickleball comes from three simple words he often reminds himself and his students…”watch the ball!”  Coach Greg is excited to share his passion for tennis and pickleball with the YMCA community, where he has been a part of for the last seven years!

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!

Barb Silva: Barb Silva is a certified teaching professional through the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR).  She has taught hundreds of students both privates and groups in various levels of play working to increase their knowledge and playing skills.  She currently teaches for Parks and Recreations in Arlington, Vienna, Alexandria, Falls Church, Virginia and Montgomery County, MD.  She is a nationally certified Paramedic and a current  American Heart Association CPR Instructor.  

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!