Staff
safeguarding: All A's & Aces instructors are USTA SafePlay certified which includes a backgrounD check. this certification is renewed on an annual basis.
all staff are vaccinated against covid-19.
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Alvin (AJ) Varnado
Co-Director of A's & Aces, Director of Tennis Coach Varnado, Co-Director of A's & Aces and Director of Tennis, comes to A's & Aces with a wide range of tennis experience, including high performance training. He is a USPTA Elite Pro and USPTR Professional, completing his USPTA Masters certification, the highest tennis certification in the U.S. Coach Varnado is a dedicated educator with over two decades of experience coaching players of all levels and educating the generation of next leaders. David Schumacher, JD
Tennis Coach Coach Schumacher, co-founder of A's & Aces, was the top-ranked junior in Louisiana, a collegiate conference champion and played 50 pro events in Europe and the US. He is a USPTA Elite pro who has taught tennis to thousands of children including over 100 who have played collegiately, many earning tennis scholarships. During a seven year term ended by Hurricane Katrina, he guided the Tulane women’s team into the NCAA top-10, was five-times selected “Louisiana Coach of the Year" and was named Conference USA “Coach of the Decade”. He coached the first individual National Champions in any sport at Tulane in 50 years, Tulane’s first women’s tennis All-Americans, first Female Student-Athlete of the Year, 29 All-Conference selections, 35 individual ITA Scholar-Athletes and multiple Academic All-America teams. Post-Katrina he ran the Schumacher Tennis Club at Tulane until launching A's & Aces in 2008. Prior to coaching at Tulane, he practiced law for 18 years and coached juniors in evenings and on weekends. |
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Kenny Waguespack
Tennis Coach Coach Waguespack joined the staff following his retirement from Encompass Insurance Company where he worked for many years as a large loss property adjuster. Kenny is a life-long tennis enthusiast and has been a committed A's & Aces volunteer on the courts and serving as the certified USTA Referee for all A's & Aces' USTA sanctioned tournaments. In 2019, he joined A's & Aces as a staff and part-time coach. Coach Kenny is a USPTA Certified Pro. |
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Elechi Egwuegwe Tennis Coach Coach Elechi is a senior at Xavier University majoring in biology on a pre-med track. She graduated from Groton High School where she played on the varsity tennis team. She is a member of several academic organizations, including Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society. Coach Elechi has taught tennis in Memphis, working with a local NJTL chapter (Tennis Memphis). |
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Kartik Chaturvedi
Tennis & Life Skills Coach Mr. Chaturvedi is a current graduate student at the University of New Orleans with years of tennis teaching experience. He is a USPTA Certified Pro. He worked for five years as an assistant/private coach at City Club River Ranch in Lafayette, for 6 years as an assistant coach for tennis summer programs at Red Lerille’s, and for 2 years teaching private lessons at City Club. In addition, Mr. Chaturvedi has assisted with an “Intermediate Tennis Clinic,” helped run a cardio tennis program, and worked with children ages 4-8 in a “Junior Pathway to Success” program. |