MEET OUR COACHES!

We are excited to announce that all of our PTY Director Coaches are certified instructors by the Professional Pickleball Registry and USPTA/USPTR (tennis). To learn about our director staff, please click here.  You can also learn more about our dedicated pickleball coaches below!

Sonny Tannan:

Sonny has been coaching and playing sports since his days in college. He transitioned from coaching as a tennis pro in various tennis clubs, to Nike and eventually to the sport of pickleball. He is a USA Pickleball Ambassador and PPR Certified Professional. Feel free to check out his website (www.sonnytannan.com) or reach out to connect with him on social media. He welcomes every level of play to step on the court in order to learn something about their game and how to elevate it to the next level. If you have just begun to play the sport or are looking for competitive strategy and tactics for tournament-level play, you will leave each lesson with at least 1 actionable item to improve your game.

Eric White:

Eric, a PPR certified teaching professional, has been playing pickleball for over 7 years and currently carries a 5.0+ rating.   He won a bronze medal at the US Open in the 5.0 division (19-49 year division) at the age of 46 and is the USAPA Ambassador for Calvert County, Maryland.  He has years of experience teaching pickleball clinics, small group instruction lessons, ladder leagues, and ratings clinics.  Eric has also been a tennis coach at Huntingtown High School for the last 17 years and prior to that a junior college tennis coach for 4 years.  He looks forward to helping you achieve your pickleball goals.

George Dwyer:

George Dwyer is a certified teaching pro by the Professional Pickleball Registry. He has taught hundreds of students through Introductory, Intermediate, and Individual instruction sessions and clinics. He has been teaching for several years for the City of Alexandria, Virginia Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, and now the Y. Dr. Dwyer is a contributing editor at Pickleball Magazine, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.

Clifford Gorman:

Starting his pickleball career at the Y as a player and ambassador, Coach Clifford quickly developed a knack and passion for the game, earning his PPR certification last year.  From leading drop-in sessions at YMCA Bethesda and Silver Spring to instructing clinics for both beginner and intermediate players, Coach Clifford always takes the extra step to ensure new players are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to be successful, and, most importantly, have fun on court! Coach Clifford looks forward to meeting you very soon in his clinics at the Y.

John Vaught:

Whether you are just learning about the game of pickleball or an experienced player who wants to improve specific parts of your game, John always tailors each session to your specific needs. He is a certified Pickleball coach and professional trainer, with a Masters in Adult & Community Education. During his sessions, he emphasizes strategic tactics, provides feedback about skill development, and incorporates mini-games for an enjoyable workout.

Kenny Roy:

Kenny is 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. 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. His 4 kids have all earned athletic college scholarships in Tennis, Football and Volleyball! He also coached the Maryland Special Olympic Adult teams for 5 years in multiple sports and this remains a highlight of his coaching career! While he 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.