Tennis Staff and Pros

Originally from the state of Washington Jacob was a top ranked junior in the Pacific Northwest. At age 17 Jacob received the honor to play on John Newcombe’s traveling team where he played overseas in several tournaments including the Junior International Clay Court Open in Edinburgh, Scotland and the Junior Scottish Open. Jacob attended the University of Colorado and competed on their snowboard team for 3 years. After graduating from CU in 2012 Jacob came back to his love of tennis and started his career as a teaching pro. Jacob has now been coaching full time in Denver for 8 years. In 2017 Jacob took over as the head coach at Mullen High School. In just 3 years he has taken the program from a top 20 school to 2nd in state and captured their first ever individual state championship at number 1 doubles. Off the court Jacob loves getting outside snowboarding, hiking, and camping.

Former Director of Tennis at The Snowmass Club in Aspen, Colorado, Andy is a USPTA Elite Professional, twice elected as President of the USPTA Intermountain Division. He’s had great success in taking league players to the next level through strategic court positioning and stroke production. In addition to being a hitting partner for Johan Kriek (two-time Australian Open Champion), Andy has worked with Jose Higueras (former Federer coach) and Dr. Jim Loehr (author and sports psychologist). In 2018 Andy was inducted into the Miami Valley Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame in recognition of achievement as a High School Player and Collegiate Tennis Player and as a mentor to various tennis organizations throughout the country.

• USPTA Elite Professional
• USTA High Performance Certified Coach
• USPTA Specialist in Junior Player Development
• Inducted into CSU Pueblo Hall of Fame for Men’s Tennis
• Two time All-American in singles, University of Southern Colorado
• 2006 USPTA Junior Development Coach of the Year
• 2005 Rocky Mountain News 5A Boy’s High School Coach of the Year
• 2004 CHSAA 5A Coach of the Year
• Highest ATP Ranking: 308
• Former Colorado State Open Singles Champion

Gerald is a New Orleans native with over 14 years of teaching experience. After helping initiate grassroots tennis programs in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina, Gerald ran one of the top junior programs in the state coaching top state and sectional players. He brings his passion and love for the sport to every session. Gerald specializes in junior development while incorporating functional training and on-court fitness.

Ariel is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and is excited to join the team. Having worked as a full-time tennis coach at a high-performance academy in New York, Ariel brings her experience in technique and footwork to her new role at JCC Denver. Ariel is truly dedicated to her players’ happiness and success, bringing high energy to every session. The new mile-high-city resident loves working with players of all ages and levels, using fun and creative drills to ramp up student game quality.

PTR certified 12 and under tennis coach. Before coming to the JCC Jen taught tennis for 6 years at Lifetime Tennis. In addition to teaching tennis she is a
kindergarten teacher with Denver Public School. Jen has provided tennis programs for students at Montclair Elementary and Carson Elementary. She is excited to share her love of tennis with kids of all ages and nurture the skills they need to become lifelong tennis enthusiasts.

Sarah is originally from Pueblo, Colorado where she taught beginner and intermediate juniors, adults, and seniors from 2015 to 2021. Then she moved up north to continue her coaching career in the Mile High City. Sarah competed at the collegiate level from 2016 to 2020 in the 1st doubles and 2nd singles positions while obtaining her Mass Communications degree with a minor in leadership at Colorado State University-Pueblo. While on the court Sarah likes to focus on stroke techniques and cues, singles and doubles strategy, movement/footwork, and overall having fun with the sport. When off court Sarah spends her time running, lifting heavy things, hiking, mastering her photography/videography craft, and always staying curious by learning something new.

Michael is a USPTA certified professional from Richmond, Virginia. Michael played competitively as a junior and was named Virginia State “All Prep.” While out on court, Michael likes to focus on strategic configurations, thinking outside the box, and considering all angles of the court. He has a calming demeanor and a knack for targeting (and then correcting) the weaknesses in a player’s game. Michael has a passion for watching a multitude of sports, playing sports outside of tennis, seeing live music, and really enjoys everything Colorado has to offer. Michael is looking forward to being part of the team at the JCC.