Tennis Program Director

Rodrigo Schtscherbyna

Rodrigo Schtscherbyna was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and started his athletic career as a swimmer. Thanks to his dad, an avid tennis player, Rodrigo became so passionate for tennis he decided to jump out the water even after achieving a few national titles.

His passion for tennis led him to some major accomplishments. Rodrigo held the #1 position in Brazil in the 14’s, 16’s and 18’s junior rankings. In ‘98, he received a full tennis scholarship at Florida International University, a NCAA Division I school, where he graduated with a double major in Finance and International Business. After college, he dedicated himself completely to becoming a professional tennis player. During those years, he trained hard, traveled to many countries, and won a few titles.

In ‘02, Rodrigo was offered a position at Winthrop University in South Carolina to coach the NCAA Division I Woman’s Tennis Team and, at the same time, to get a MBA degree. After getting his degree he decided to take on a bigger challenge. Once he heard: If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere!!!

Rodrigo arrived in New York in ‘03 and has worked in the area since. Prior to Club Fit, he was part of some of the most well attended racquet clubs in Westchester County. Rodrigo is a certified USPTA and PPTA professional.

Rodrigo, who lives in White Plains with his wife Kristie and their children Matteos and Nicolás, is a big sports fan and loves tennis, platform tennis and soccer. He is also interested in Finance and the world’s socio-economy.

Adult Tennis Program Director

Heath Hoover

Heath grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was taught to play tennis when he was 8 years old by his father, a former college player and local junior high school coach. He played competitive junior tennis making the varsity team as a freshman at Rider High School. He went on to play #1 singles and doubles at Midwestern State University. He received a Bachelor of Science in Sports and Exercise Science. Heath was awarded MVP for the tennis team 3 years in a row and was named to the All-Conference team in 1992 based on his singles record of 10-2. Following graduation, Heath began teaching at various tennis clubs in Texas. He joined the Club Fit staff in February 2001. Heath was promoted to Assistant Director of Tennis in 2005. Among his highlights at Club Fit, he lists coaching the women’s USTA 4.0 team (Nerve Rackers) for the last 9 years and being a tournament director for USTA sanctioned events. Heath is a USPTA certified tennis professional since 1995. He still loves to compete, playing on a men’s 4.5 team in the summer and also playing on Club Fit’s 8.0 mixed doubles team. His favorite athlete is Roger Federer because he is the epitome of perfection on the tennis court and also for his cool, calm demeanor. He is an ardent Texas Longhorn fan. He is a maestro in table tennis and plays golf every chance he gets.

Testimonial

“I wanted to submit this testimonial from the four of us who attended Heath Hoovers Clinic last Friday June 23. We wanted to say that Heath taught a fantastic class for the four of us, and always has. He is well tuned in to our individual needs and brings out the best in each of us with encouragement and positive reinforcement. We also enjoyed the fact that he put lots of energy in to making the classes interesting as well as honing in on our strengths and weaknesses. He is extremely creative with the exercises he has us do and keeps us moving and focused. It really is a pleasure to learn tennis from him as a teacher. He is patient and encouraging and makes learning the routines of tennis a good deal of fun. We have been more than satisfied with his work with us, for his keen teaching skills, and expert professionalism. We hope to have him for more classes in the future.” – Cecilia Soprano on behalf of Anna, Sung, and Fulvia

Junior Tennis Program Director

James Koob

James was born & raised in the Hudson Valley. He attended Roy C. Ketcham High School where he was elected captain of his team & played number one singles with a 55-15 record. James has worked with a variety of high performance coaches not only on his tennis game, but his teaching ability as well. He works with adults and juniors, novice to advance. He provides quality instruction, focusing on proper technique, good footwork, smart strategy, and a “fight till the end” mind set. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Despite SUNY New Paltz not having an NCAA men’s tennis team, that didn’t stop him from competing. He achieved a regional ranking as a junior, participated in local USTA competition, in house leagues, club tournaments, as well as taking different classes/seminars with the USTA & USPTA.

He has years of experience working at & running local tennis programs at different sporting venues & country clubs, as well as volunteering for the U.S. Open, the New Haven Open at Yale, & local events. James has also teamed up with his mom, Gail, in the past & played events such as the Niagara Family Classic at the New Haven Open at Yale since the whole family enjoys competition! His mother played Division I tennis for Fordham University & has had wins over notable players (& even notable player’s parents!). James’ favorite players are Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, & Jimmy Connors (who James was named after! James Scott Connors, James Scott Koob, What a coincidence!). In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, pickleball!

Tennis Professional

Billy Ray Jackson

Billy Ray Jackson is in his 32nd year on Club Fit Staff. He was born and raised in North Central Texas. Billy was a service brat and moved frequently in the States and Europe as his father, an Air Force Major, was a member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. He attended Shaw University and received an M.A. degree in Sports and Fitness Administration. In October 2003 he was inducted into the Shaw University Hall of Fame for his achievements in football, baseball, and tennis.

He is a life member of the Eastern Tennis Association, a certified P-1 for PTR, an Elite Professional for USPTA and a level 3 for the MTM. His accolades include PTR Pro of the Year (1992), Eastern Section Pro of the Year (1998) and the Presidential Award for the Eastern Section (1996).

He is the former President the Eastern Section of the Professional Tennis Registry. Billy is the former Athletic Director of the Abbott School. He has worked with tennis legend Arthur Ashe and studied under world-renowned teaching professional Oscar Wegner. Billy is on the cutting edge of tennis teaching and techniques. His programs are geared toward teaching the proper techniques and shot selection. Billy lives in Ossining, NY, and has extensive contacts in the tennis industry

Women's League Coordinator

Amy Kaufman

Amy Kaufman originally hails from the city of Rochester, NY, but has been living in Sleepy Hollow with her husband and two kids since 2002. As a kid she played “old-school” tennis on her street and against her garage door, dabbled in high school and college tennis but most of her free time was devoted to studying piano and singing. After college Amy moved to NYC and began a career as a Marketing Director in Children’s Book Publishing for Orchard Books, Penguin USA, HarperCollins, and Abrams Books for Young Readers.

But it wasn’t until after her two children were born and attending school, that her interest in playing tennis was rekindled. Amy dove into “all thing’s tennis”. Drawing on her experience of studying and performing music, Amy applied the same focus and discipline to learning and mastering tennis technique, shot selection, fitness, and nutrition. She lost regularly in 3.0 until she didn’t. Same pattern occurred at the 3.5, 4.0., and 4.5 levels. As a forever student of the game, she still loves honing skills against the wall on the indoor courts at Club Fit, practicing her serve technique, and consuming all tennis media.

When not thinking about tennis, Amy gives back to her community by serving on the Board of Kids’ Club of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow, Inc. She is also a trained hospice volunteer and is a recipe tester and reviewer for the website Leite Culinaria. Her other passions include meditation and walking her corgis in the Rockerfeller Preserve.

A member of Club Fit for 18 years, Amy is excited to bring all of her interests and talents to the Club Fit team and looks forward to keeping the Women’s Tennis Leagues robust.

Co-ed League Coordinator

Daniel Reisner

Daniel Reisner grew up locally, living in Millwood NY for most of his life and graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 2005. He has always been an active member in the community, and before he started his career at Club Fit as a tennis pro, he was a member of the club for 10+ years.He grew up playing several sports and they became his niche and he always seemed to excel in basketball, baseball, wrestling, football, lacrosse, racquetball and of course tennis. Daniel also has a strong passion for weight training as well as cardio and nutrition training.At a young age, Daniel quickly realized the extra edge you can get over your opponents if you train hard. His favorite quote ” train hard and play hard. You play how you practice.” One of the toughest decisions Daniel had to make was to pick only one sport to focus on and play in college. Since he was heavily recruited and received a small athletic scholarship to Keene State College in New Hampshire, where he played four years of college lacrosse at the Division 3 level. Immediately after college Daniel went back to his true love and devoted all of his attention towards tennis. Daniel has always had a passion for helping others, so he became certified in “10 and Under” tennis as well as adult tennis. He is an active member of the USTA, and plays in local leagues and tournaments. He has a lively, energetic and patient personality which makes him a pleasure and easy to work with. Besides teaching group and private lessons, Daniel runs several social events and is the head stringer at the club. As Daniel likes to say: “You only live once, but you get to serve twice.”

Testimonial
I have been with the same group of women for that time for the most part. Daniel has taken me from novice, like real novice (never played in my life, couldn’t hold a racquet), to the point where I am playing in the club league and now will be on his USTA team.  This may not seem like as big a deal as it is but I am one of the less athletically, ok klutz total non-athlete is more accurate, inclined people I know. He has found a way to make every lesson valuable, make the sport something I am good at and getting better and most of all for the first time in my life I actually am bummed if I cannot make a clinic.  I look for times to play the game on my own, I look forward to league play.  I have confidence in my play, I strive to do better. He challenges me, pushes me and frankly expects me to work hard and improve in a way that is always pleasant, fun but firm.  He is an outstanding teacher. It is easy to teach those who have natural ability, I see this with my husband who is a natural athlete.  It is a feat to make those of us with skills in other areas think we can be athletic in what we choose to do.  Tennis is the first sport I ever liked, like more each time and a lot of that is due to Daniel. I wanted to recognize him for this and for the person he is with me and with our group.” – Juliana Badescu

Tennis Professional

Ivan Lucic

Ivan Lucic was born and raised in Makarska, Croatia. At the age of 11, Ivan began training at the prestigious IMG Nick Bollettieri Academy where he participated in the prestigious Masters Series. Ivan then went on to compete in ITF satellite level tournaments in 2007.

During that period, Ivan was also a hitting partner and coach for Mirjana Lucic Baroni (professional WTA #32), a hitting partner and coach for Julia Vakulenko (professional WTA #30) and coached junior Bernard Tomic (professional ATP #22) on the professional tour. Ivan has also trained and worked with ATP and WTA Coach, Joey Giuliano, who assisted Vincent Spadea and Brad Gilbert in coaching Andre Agassi and bringing Elena Bovina to the top 10 on the WTA circuit.

With over 14 years of experience as a tennis professional, Ivan is adept in strategic lesson design, personal nutrition and fitness education, and corrective techniques. He is a highly versatile teaching pro who has had extensive experience and training working with both adult and junior players on all stages of development. Ivan has coached adult USTA teams as well as juniors preparing for tournaments. Before joining Club Fit, Ivan taught at many prestigious clubs throughout Westchester and Connecticut.

Ivan also loves nature and the study of astronomy.

Tennis Professional

David Birnbaum

David grew up in Pleasantville and has spent most of his young life in this area. He was a Club Fit member for many years when younger and started playing tennis at the age of 6.
At age 10 and already passionate for the sport, David started to play tennis tournaments. A few years later, he joined the Pleasantville High School Tennis Team where he played in the # 1 spot for four years. He was also top ten in the East Boy’s 18’s and earned a scholarship to Rutgers University where he played #3 singles and #1 doubles throughout his four years there. He graduated with a B.A. in Journalism in 1999.
After taking a significant break from tennis he began playing and coaching again in 2014. David is PTR certified and has taught in Scottsdale Arizona as well as NJ and Long Island and recently relocated back to Westchester earlier this summer. He enjoys teaching players of all ages and all levels.
His favorite player is Roger Federer because of the grace and humility he conducts himself with both on and off the court!
David has a great passion for coaching and a very strong knowledge of the game!

Tennis Professional

Lukas Beman

Lukas is from “down under” also known as Australia. His hometown is called Woodend which is in the state of Victoria, where he lived with his two sisters and his parents. Since 1995 he has been traveling the world coaching and playing tennis.

He is a recent graduate of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, graduating in May of 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in Sports Management. In the three years he played, he won four state championships and made it to the Nationals four years running. His team was consistently nationally ranked in Division Two, with many of his players ranked in the top ten in the country. In 2007, Kutztown University named him the senior athlete of the year.

Lukas’s coaching has taken him to many countries, but the best thing that he ever did was come to America to teach tennis. Lukas first attended Windridge Tennis Camp at Craftsbury Common in Vermont in 2000 during the summers. In 2002 he became the assistant tennis director and was there until the summer of 2007.

He is a certified USPTA Professional 1, USPTR Professional and MTM Professional coach. At the club, Lukas teaches Adult Drill clinics, runs the QuickStart program, teaches the Junior development clinics, USTA junior team tennis as well as teaching Private and Semi-Private lessons. Since joining the Club Fit team, Lukas’s coaching highlight has been taking the 3.0 USTA team to the national championships where it finished 4^th in the nation. Despite his Australian heritage, he admits that while he can throw a boomerang (his serve has been officially clocked at 134 mph), he cannot make it come back.

Tennis Professional

Petar Kanev

Petar Kanev has been a professional tennis coach since 1995. In 2011, he founded PDP (Player Development Program) and, in 2017, KTA (Kanev Tennis Academy), where he has built a strong juniors’ program and has held a number of established adult clients.

Previously, Petar has been a Senior Master Pro at another local Health and Sports Club from 2004 to 2011, Assistant Head Tennis Pro and Head Tennis Pro at local Summer Clubs. In 2004, Petar worked at the US Open as a coach and he has maintained USPTA and PTR certifications in addition to receiving an Etcheberry Academy Certification in Strength, Conditioning, and Movement in Sport.

Prior to coming to the USA in 2004, Petar was the hitting partner for Maggi Maleeva from 2000 to 2004 and was the Maleevi Tennis Club coach and program director in Sofia, Bulgaria. Additionally, he was a coach at the CSKA High Performance Center and Head Tennis Professional and Co-founder of Septemvri Tennis Club.

As a player, Petar ranked as high as #13 in Bulgaria in 2002, was the #1 player for the Bulgarian National Sports Academy from 1995 to 1999, and was among the top 15 junior players in Bulgaria from 1982 to 1994. He received his bachelor’s degree as a tennis trainer in 1999 and a master’s degree in sports psychology in 2002.

Petar is originally a Bulgarian national but now enjoys full United States citizenship. He enjoys photography and skiing when he is off the courts.

Tennis Professional

Steve Lee

Steve Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and eventually, he and his family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Growing up in Colorado Springs, Steve had a passion for soccer and tennis. Steve played varsity soccer and tennis for his high school. After graduating high school Steve was recruited to play soccer at California Baptist University in Riverside, California and also walked on to the tennis team. Steve ended his collegiate athletic career and graduated from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs with a major in Business Administration.

Since 1995, Steve took his love of the game of tennis and decided to make it into his profession. Steve has been certified by the USPTA since 1996. Most of his career has been spent at private country clubs in Colorado and Texas. In Texas, he was a local area training coach for high-ranked juniors. For two seasons, Steve also coached the men’s team at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. While working for ClubCorp in Texas, he has held positions as an assistant all the way up to Director of Tennis. Steve has coached several USTA women’s teams to sectionals and nationals mostly in Texas. His extensive experience at country clubs and tennis clubs around the country has honed his teaching skills and allowed him to develop a teaching style that engages students to become the best players they can. During the last 12 years, Steve has been coaching in Central Jersey at one of the tri-state area’s top high performance tennis academies. This will be Steve’s second period at Club Fit – he worked at Club Fit Briarcliff from 2015 through 2018. Off the tennis court Steve enjoys playing golf, snow skiing, fly fishing and anything that involves the outdoors. He lives in Hackettstown, NJ with his wife Ellie and their two dogs Bella and Coco.

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Steve Dixon

Steve was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. He started playing tennis with his father at the age of 8. As a child he was very active in many sports – but tennis and swimming were the two that he excelled and participated in the most, throughout high school. Steve became a teaching pro at age 19 and is a USPTA teaching professional. He has been the Director of Tennis at two racquet clubs in Florida – Aquarina Racquet Club in Melbourne Beach where he worked for 8 years and Oceans Racquet Club in Daytona Beach Shores where he was for 2 years.  He has worked with many successful ladies teams and has coached a very successful Junior Summer Camp. Steve came to New York to coach at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Briarcliff Manor for the summer. He liked the area so much that he has decided to stay in the area full time. When he is not on the tennis court, Steve enjoys anything that gets him outside – swimming, scuba diving, snow skiing or just a long walk around NYC.