Woodside Health & Tennis Club

RoD Zerni Director of Tennis Rod has been the Tennis Director and a teaching professional at Woodside the last 15 years. He has been a professional tennis instructor for 20 years. He holds a USPTA - Professional 1 certification and is also a USTA High Performance Coach. Rod played college tennis at Division 1 Missouri State University where he was a 4 year conference winner in singles and doubles. He also played on the ITF and ATP Tour. Rod has coached over 40 players who have gone on to receive college tennis scholarships and his players have won at every level of competition - district level - Heart of America; sectional level - Missouri Valley and National level. He was named 2002 and 2006 High Performance Coach of the Year for Heart of America. Rod also enjoys working with adults through lessons, clinics and mixers. Rod has served 12 years as USTA Heart of America board member - Vice President. He is also Head Coach for USTA Heart of America Competition Training Center and was the 2008 Winner of USTA Heart of America Distinguished Service Award.
deon Botha Tennis Professional Deon has 20 years teaching and coaching experience as he was Director of Tennis at Rockhill Tennis Club before coming to Woodside. He holds a USPTA - Professional 1 certification. He has been an alternate for Kansas City Explorer's World Team Tennis. He is a Missouri Valley Men's Singles and Doubles Champion and Kansas City Open Men's Singles and Doubles Champion. Deon played NCAA Division I Tennis at Oklahoma State University – All-Big 8 Conference Player in Singles and Doubles and competitor at the NCAA Division I Men's National Championships. Deon also played on the ATP Tour. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University.
Kevin Brennan Tennis Professional Kevin has been coaching for 8 years. He achieved USTA Northern Section rankings and played high school tennis in South Dakota for the O'Gorman Knights. He also played for the University of Kansas Club Tennis program. He helped his club team at KU make to the national tournament for their inaugural season, placing 2nd in their division. He is a USPTA - Professional 3 and PTR. Kevin assists in many of Woodside's tennis programs, including adult and Woodside Junior Tennis Academy clinics. Kevin also manages the Club's tennis leagues throughout the year. Tim Oberhelman Tennis Professional Tim has been teaching tennis for 22 years, and been coaching high school tennis for 17 years. He has been a USPTA developmental coach since 1995. Tim played tennis at JCCC then walked on at KSU for one season. He still plays in tournaments and USTA leagues as well as Ten-cap tennis. He has coached 6 Sunflower league champions, 5 Regional champions and 3 State Champions. Two of his high school players went on to win national championships at JCCC. Tim has help place over 40 students in college tennis scholarships, three in D-1, 32 in D-2. He teaches AP Environmental Science and Horticulture at Olathe South High and is the head tennis coach for boys and girls at Olathe Northwest High. He loves working with quick start tennis, Futures and Elite tennis kids as well as helping adults improve their game.
Mary Pankiewicz Junior Development Coordinator Mary played 4 years of varsity high school tennis at Bishop Leblond High school in St. Joseph, Missouri and was a state contender. From 2003-2007 she played number one singles and doubles on scholarship at Missouri Western State University. From 2003 and 2007 she spent her summers working as a tennis director at Lake Bryn Mawr in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. She graduated in 2007 with a degree in Elementary Education and taught 2 years with the Saint Joseph School District before coming to Woodside. Mary is currently the Junior Development Coordinator at Woodside and holds a USPTA certification - Professional 1. Darren Chiao Tennis Professional Darren is a product of Woodside Tennis Academy, having trained with Rod Zerni during high school from 2000 - 2003. He played at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2003-2007. While at UMKC, Darren taught at area clubs during the summers including Woodside. After graduating, Darren moved to Wichita to be employed full-time as a design engineer at Spirit Aerosystems, Inc. In 2008, Darren began to teach on a part-time basis at Riverside Tennis Center. During his time at Riverside, he led group and private lessons for all skills and age levels. After completing his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Wichita State University, he moved back to Kansas City after accepting an engineering position with Honeywell FM&T. In early 2011, Darren earned a P-1 USPTA certification and currently holds a 5.0 NTRP rating. Darren’s belief in the Woodside tennis philosophy and his genuine love for the game have brought him back to teaching at the club. Nathan Lumpkin Tennis Professional Nathan is our home-grown pro at Woodside, born and raised right here in Kansas City. His unrivaled passion and enthusiasm for the sport led him to decide early on to become a tennis professional. He played tennis at Rockhurst University while working on his undergrad degree in business communication. Seeking year-round sunshine on the courts, after college Lumpkin moved to Phoenix, Arizona to continue to cultivate his skills. He has played both singles and doubles for numerous USTA league teams and was an integral part in taking his 9.0 team to nationals. He currently has his PTR certification as well as several years of coaching experience, working with people of all ages.