Aaron grew up in and lives in Montclair, NJ, went to Montclair High School, and graduated from the University of Maryland. He’s a pickleball lover, 5.0/Pro tournament player, and co-founder of Montclair Pickleball.

Aaron grew up playing tennis, began teaching at 16, and eventually started an academy in Montclair called First Serve Tennis with his good friend Matt. He thought tennis would be his main passion, but was introduced to pickleball during his freshman year of college when he met and developed a friendship with future World No. 1 pickleball player Ben Johns (who convinced him to try it).

Aaron has now coached over 2000 pickleball and tennis players of all ages and levels, and frequently competes in tournaments. He loves sharing his passion for pickleball with others, and helping players improve their game while having a great time.

Matt graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 2021 where he played four years of Division I tennis and captained the team his junior and senior years. He is now another tennis player turned 5.0/Pro tournament pickleball player! Matt co-founded First Serve Tennis in 2020 with his good friend Aaron before the two of them fell in love with pickleball and created Montclair Pickleball.

During his career as a coach, he has taught tennis and pickleball to over 2000 players and has experience teaching both kids and adults. Matt takes an adaptive, goal oriented approach to his coaching strategies and is always looking to share his experience and spread his passion for the game. For Matt, the most important thing is helping his students accomplish their goals, no matter how big or small, while enjoying the game of pickleball.

David has lived in Verona, NJ for over 30 years! He is a high-level pickleball player, enthusiastic coach, and all-around lover of the game.

He played football for Cornell before playing professionally in Sweden, has spent years playing in adult leagues for sports such as squash, baseball, basketball, and tennis, and also won the NJ State Squash Championship!

David also spent years as a model, and is currently a professional photographer and videographer (which has led to his love of shooting pickleball players and events).

David works with both beginner and higher-level players, using his passion, experience, and coaching abilities to help players at any level take their game up a notch!

Adam lives in Montclair, NJ with his wife and three kids. He played college tennis and golf at Wesleyan University, but “pickleball stole his heart”. Adam competes in tournaments at the 4.0 level and has won medals, which he proudly displays in his room.

You may also find Adam performing on stage with his twin brother as part of the comedy duo, “Stone and Stone.”

The name “Adam Stone” is actually also the name of a professional pickleball player on tour. So this Adam may not be the best pickleball player named “Adam Stone,” but he is quite confident that he is the second best pickleball player named “Adam Stone” in the WORLD!

Adam looks forward to sharing his love of pickleball with you – and to hopefully giving you some laughs as well.

Lena was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and started off her athletic career playing point guard for her national champion high school basketball team.

She moved to the States after a 5-year international modeling career and is currently a celebrity makeup artist (Justin Bieber, Kristen Bell, Michael B Jordan, Brooke Shields, Martina McBride, etc).

She lives in Verona with her husband David (pickleball coach) and their 2 kids.

Lena plays pickleball recreationally and loves helping introduce the game to new players and helping intermediate players get to the next level.

Lucia is from Verona, NJ and has been playing pickleball for over 5 years. She first played at JMU in 1995 when she & her friends wanted to try something new. She’s a tennis-lover turned pickleball-lover who still plays both regularly. She’s happily married to her Army husband and competes in tournaments at the 4.5+ level in addition to still playing USTA national tennis tournaments.

Lucia currently works as a Realtor and Real Estate Investor while also teaching pickleball. Her primary focus is for everyone to love pickleball and to connect people within the pickleball community.

Leo grew up in Montclair, NJ where he served as captain and first singles for Montclair High School’s varsity tennis team. He played college tennis for Bates College, and went on to coach tennis for First Serve Tennis. He later discovered pickleball through co-founders Aaron and Matt, quickly developed a love for the sport, and now competes in tournaments and plays at the 5.0 level. He currently coaches clinics for all levels.

Leo is a gifted athlete, an experienced and passionate coach, and is an amazing addition to the Montclair Pickleball coaching family.

Chrissy is a former competitive tennis player turned pickleball enthusiast. From her early days playing in USTA Junior tournaments to her time on TCNJ's Division III tennis team, Chrissy developed a competitive spirit and love of sports.

Chrissy began playing pickleball in 2021 and quickly became passionate about the sport, now competing in mixed and women's 4.5+ doubles tournaments. Her previous experience as a tennis instructor has translated into the pickleball world, where she now coaches and encourages others to improve their skills and enjoy the game to the fullest.

Julie LaBattaglia currently lives in Rutherford, NJ, and is a competitive singles and doubles player. She loves the game of pickleball, as well as helping others love it too.

Julie started off as a tennis player, and was introduced to tennis by the great Arthur Ashe during a summer clinic offered to NYC youth. After college, she became an educator in NYC/NJ for 25+ years in both public and private Montessori schools.

Julie has always promoted a healthy and fitness-conscious lifestyle which includes yoga, creative movement and running. She strongly believes that self-motivation along with a positive and encouraging environment are the keys to athletic improvement at any age.

Joe grew up in Mt Olive, NJ and graduated from East Stroudsburg University where he was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Army. He was stationed in both Washington state and Texas before returning to NJ. Joe remained on active duty status and is currently working full time with the NJ Army National Guard. He has served for 28 years.

Joe lives in Verona, NJ with his spouse Lucia (pickleball coach) and has been playing pickleball for four years. He competes in tournaments, and believes the best thing about pickleball is anyone at any age with any ability can play the game.

Joe is always ready to provide encouragement and find the best in everyone.

Matt lives in Somerville, NJ, and is a massive sports fan. He picked up pickleball in 2023 and immediately fell in love with the sport after spending many years competing in tennis and soccer.

Matt has worked in sports media for the nearly a decade (including at large pickleball media company The Dink), covering major events across America, as well as building out his own social media following.

He loves interacting with the pickleball community, especially those that are looking to up their games to the next level. Matt currently coaches beginner and intermediate clinics.

Manickam Ramanathan was born and brought up in Chennai, India and currently lives in Lyndhurst, New Jersey with his wife and child.

Manickam was introduced to pickleball by his brother-in-law in 2021, and fell in love from the first serve.

Manickam has won multiple medals and currently competes in local tournaments at the 4.5+ level.

Manickam currently works as Technology auditor at a highly-regarded wall street firm while teaching clinics and playing pickleball!

Vinay lives in East Brunswick, NJ with his wife and two kids. He was born in India and moved to the USA as a teenager. Vinay has always been an athlete. He spent years playing squash, tennis, table tennis, badminton, and racquetball, before falling in love with pickleball during covid.

Vinay competes in tournaments regularly and has won gold at the 4.5, 5.0, and senior pro-level.

His love for pickleball has evolved from being a competitive player, to sharing his journey with others and helping them improve their game through coaching. Off the court, Vinay helps people with disabilities find job opportunities in the tech sector.

Michael, known by many as “Mike B”, grew up in Iowa and moved to New Jersey in 2022. He was a high-level tennis player, spent years coaching and training young players and eventually coached college tennis, then finally found and fell in love with pickleball.

Mike currently plays multiple days a week (with players including Montclair Pickleball founders Matt and Aaron), competes at the 5.0 and Pro level, and even won the competitive 5.0 Doubles APP New York City Open tournament in 2023 with co-founder Matt.

Mike loves to play, as well as help others achieve a high level. Mike currently helps coach 4.0+ clinics.