Joel Richmond

Joel is the Co-Director of the Advantage QuickStart Tennis program alongside Darrin Fallick, and Health Director/Administrator for the westside Advantage Camps at MPRC. Originally from central New York, Joel began playing tennis at the age of 6 and started coaching at 16. Joel competed in Division III tennis and soccer for Bard College, where he was the tennis captain for 3 years. Joel joined HCK Recreation over 8 years ago, first as a coach, then as an administrative and site director of the QuickStart Tennis program and Summer Camp programs. As Co-Director of the QuickStart Tennis program, Joel focuses on administration, staffing and training, and ensuring the program maintains its high quality of services.
As a PTR L2 Certified Professional, Joel uses a game-based approach to help junior players get into the game and develop a proper technical and tactical foundation. With a background MA in philosophy, Joel also inspires creative learning through inquiry and problem-solving on court. He is thrilled to welcome you and your child to the world of tennis!

Darrin Fallick

Darrin Fallick brings 25+ years of administrative and teaching experience to his roles as Co-Director of Advantage QuickStart Tennis and Advantage Summer Day Camp. He has worked in physical education and athletics in independent schools — teaching and coaching tennis and a variety of other sports at all grade levels, and he has administered camp programs across New York City and Long Island.

From his early experience as an educator, administrator, and camp counselor to today’s position as Co-Director of Advantage QuickStart Tennis and Summer Day Camp, Darrin’s enthusiasm and focus have helped children develop their skills and love of sports. Darrin is a PTR L1 certified tennis coach.

Gabe Slotnick

Gabriel Slotnick has both teaching and competitive experience. Gabriel played Division III singles and doubles for Yeshiva University (where he received a degree in accounting) and was named to the All American Conference for three straight years. For two summers during his college career, Gabriel was the head tennis instructor at Camp Lavi, a sports sleep away camp at Lake Como, PA. He also taught adults and juniors at the Broad Street Tennis center in Englewood, NJ. Before joining MPRC, Gabriel was the head instructor at QuickStart’s West Side YMCA site. He previously captained an adult USTA league in Manhattan and led the team to three consecutive playoff seasons. Gabriel is also a former member of the New York Road Runners Club. Since 2005, he has completed more than 80 road races ranging from 5K’s to marathons, including 6 ING New York City marathons and 5 ING Miami marathons. Gabriel is also an avid indoor rower for 13 years, and previously taught indoor rowing at the West Side’s YMCA three days a week. In 2012, Gabriel left the corporate world where he worked as an analyst to become a tennis professional.
Gabriel is a Site Director and coach in Advantage Tennis Clubs’ QuickStart programs. He is also the Director of Advantage QuickStart Summer Camp. He earned his USPTR certification in Adult Development, 10 & Under, 11-17 and also holds USPTA certification.

Peter Wang

Peter Wang, originated from Hong Kong, a tennis enthusiast as well as a certified recreational tennis coach who strives to help young children get in on tennis.  Peter finds that bringing the children to understanding the mechanics in tennis takes the creativity and patience from the coach.  Peter believes that because of this, the daily teaching has become unique and interesting.

Amanda Bell

Amanda has taught at Advantage QuickStart Tennis for the past 8 years. She was a ranked junior growing up in Connecticut and played Division 2 singles and doubles at Clarion University of Pennsylvania for 4 years. She also coached at the Country Club of Fairfield and Offense-Defense Tennis Camp in Milton, MA. Amanda enjoys working with and inspiring children on the court and emphasizes fun while teaching QuickStart. She can be reached at abell@advantagetennisclubs.com

Nancy Livak

Nancy learned to play tennis at summer camp when she was six years old and has been playing ever since.  She has worked with youth for over 20 years including teaching sailing, skiing, and knitting to kids of all ages.  Starting in 2019, Nancy began coaching youth tennis at Vermont Sport & Fitness in Rutland, Vermont.
During the summer of 2021, she coached at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, and joined the Advantage QuickStart Tennis team in the fall of 2021.

Angelica Mehta

Angelica has been coaching with Advantage Tennis Clubs’ QuickStart Program since 2017. She grew up playing tennis, and began teaching at age 15. Angelica is currently in law school, studying education and immigration law. She loves working with kids and helping them develop their tennis skills!

Christian Roumain

Christian Roumain, QuickStart Tennis Director at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club is passionate about teaching Red Ball Tennis. Christian first picked up the sport of tennis while growing up in Haiti. Certified by the USTA to Coach Youth 10 and under and a Net Generation Provider; Christian started teaching at Advantage Tennis Clubs as a way to give back to the sport. A USPTA Certified Tennis Instructor, Christian has several years of coaching experience in the NYJTL Community Tennis Program and most recently for the USTA at the BJK National Tennis Center.

Naseem Sadik

Naseem Sadik has been teaching tennis since he was 19 years old. His goal in teaching is to provide an outlet for people to express themselves and their love of the game. Naseem believes that helping guide those who want to express themselves better on the court will not only help them play better in tennis but in life. To express oneself is the ultimate form of self-love. The goal is to carry this self love towards the love of humanity and connecting to it others. Helping anyone enjoy the game more with a different level or approach would be what he considers his objective as when coaching/guiding all players.

Patrick Waggoner

A life long tennis player, Patrick’s first lessons were with Bob Burgess, who was a disciple of the legendary Australian tennis coach Harry Hopman. A former NCAA Division 3 player, Patrick notched an impressive three set victory over the then #24 nationally ranked player in the nation at the Division 3 level while competing against Redlands College in Southern California. A year earlier, he was runner up in the Washington State Community College State Championships that were held in Yakima, Washington. Patrick has competed in numerous USTA sanctioned tournaments from California to Montana, and has extensive teaching experience in both summer camp and private instructional settings, where his goal is to infuse the same sense of fun and enthusiasm to the young aspiring tennis player he experienced as a student of the game himself.

A prolific songwriter, Patrick has performed live and released several recordings of his music with his friends and band mates, including a collection of children’s songs. Along with his love of the arts, he is also an outdoor and nature enthusiast.

Spencer Aste

Spencer started playing tennis at 9 years of age, in 1974, with a wooden racquet.  He played competitively as a Junior throughout the West and Southwest and was ranked in Utah inboys 12, 14, 16, and 18 and under. In addition to tournament winnings as a Junior, Spencer received the Pyke Memorial Award for
Sportsmanship at the Cottonwood Country Club in Salt Lake City, UT.

A serious injury took him away from the game while he pursued his education. Spencer has a BFA in
Theatre from the University of Utah and an MFA in Theatre from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, CO. Spencer started competing again and teaching tennis in 1991, and has been playing and teaching ever since.

Spencer has taught at Midtown Tennis Club in New York City, The Racquet and Paddle Studio, in Wyckoff, NJ, The Tennis Place in Los Angeles and The Manhattan Tennis Academy in New York City. When not playing Spencer is a Match logger for ESPN at the US Open in NYC.

Spencer is a Registered Pro with the Professional Tennis Registry and a member of USTA.