Instructors

If you would like to be featured on this page, please email us at info@evpbc.com with your qualifications.

 

Eric Wold

Eric is a Certified Professional with the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) and a Certified Instructor with the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP). In addition, he is an active tournament player at the 5.0 and Senior Pro levels. Prior to playing pickleball, Eric played several other sports competitively, including collegiate tennis. Eric has a passion for coaching pickleball and he stays current on the latest pickleball strategies and techniques. Eric offers private and group lessons to players of all abilities - for people new to the sport and those looking to elevate their games for tournament play. He also offers “Drills and Skills” clinics and “Three and Me” sessions. Learn more at his website.

Roger Schaljo - Summer Months Only

Roger has been playing Pickleball since 2012 and is a tournament player at the 4.5 level. In 2017, Roger became a Certified Pickleball Teaching Professional with the International Pickleball Teaching Professonal Association (IPTPA). Roger’s degree in Recreation, as well as his background in tennis, table tennis and badminton have helped him be successful in playing as well as teaching Pickleball. His enthusiasm for the game shines through in his teaching.

 

Buzz Summers - Summer Months Only

As a 6 time National Pickleball Champion, Buzz teaches Pickleball in Palm Desert, Ca. during the winter, as well as the Eugene and Springfield area during the summer season. Buzz was the University of Oregon tennis coach for 28 years. His passion for teaching is now primarily focused on his favorite sport, Pickleball.

 

Edwin Jaffarian - Summer Months Only

Edwin is a retired Elementary P.E. Teacher and was the Tennis coach at  Churchill High School for over 30 years.  He was ranked in Tennis in singles and doubles and has won a number of medals in pickleball tournaments for 4.5 singles, doubles and mixed during the last 10 years.

Bob Block

Bob is a Certified Pickleball Instructor by the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) who has been playing since 2013. He has led clinics for beginners and intermediate players in Oregon and North Carolina always with the priority of having fun. He enjoys introducing newbies to the game and helping lapsed tennis players convert to pickleball in his "Tennis to Pickleball Conversion Therapy" clinics.

Andrew Pham

Andrew is an enthusiastic pickleball player and instructor in addition to being a professional pianist, piano teacher, and opera coach. He draws on over a decade of professional experience as a music educator that has led him to be the patient, thoughtful teacher he is today. Andrew is a certified instructor with the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) and has been playing the sport regularly since 2017. He started competing in pickleball tournaments in 2018, having played in tournaments in Oregon, California, Idaho, Indiana, and South Carolina. He has won a number of gold, silver, and bronze medals throughout the years and competes at the 4.5 level.

Kathy O’Bannon

Kathy began playing pickleball in 2018 after 40 years as a competitive racquetball player. As well as playing recreationally, she has medaled at the 4.0 and 4.5 level in regional pickleball tournaments. She became an IPTPA certified pickleball instructor in 2022 and enjoys sharing her passion for the game with and developing players. Kathy has been teaching PE for over 20 years and has an MS with a focus in Exercise Physiology. She uses her experience in teaching and movement science to help the development of players’ skills to enhance their pickleball experience.

Connie Pifer

Connie is a pickleball enthusiast with a fitness instruction background who fell for pickleball in 2020.  She quickly became a student of the game pursuing competition at high levels. Connie plays in and organizes tournaments and has many pickleball connections in the greater Willamette Valley. Connie is certified as a Level II Pickleball Instructor through the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA). Her home courts are in Cottage Grove but she is also available for lessons at courts in the Eugene/Springfield area.  Passing on her love of the game has become one of her favorite pursuits, and she loves to coach the mental aspects of pickleball encouraging an emphasis on empowerment and enjoyment of the game above all.