Mitch Case - Staff Pro
Mitch has a true passion for tennis, and has been playing the game since the age of 5. He captained his high school team to a State Title in 2000 and earned a spot on the CT All-State team. In college, Mitch competed at Western Connecticut State University and won the Little East Conference #1 Doubles Title as a freshman. After finishing his Undergraduate program with a degree in Communications, Mitch decided to make coaching tennis his full-time profession. As a PTR Certified Professional, Mitch has worked with almost every age (from 2 1/2 years to 87 years old) and ability level (beginner to advanced/high performance). He is the Head Coach of the Northwestern Regional #7 Boys Tennis Team during the spring, and the Director of Tennis at Woodridge Lake during the summer. Mitch is also a Etcheberry Certified Fitness Coach (etcheberryexperience.com), and a member of the Prince Teaching Pro National Team.
Peter Jutras - Staff Pro
Peter is a P-1 Certified Pro through the USPTA, of which he’s been a member for over 35 years. As a player, Peter was a successful competitor, earning a top ranking in the New England Region. His teaching career has been outstanding, as he has been the Tennis Director at some of premiere Country Clubs in the country, including the Golf Club of Avon (18 years), and the Longmeadow Country Club (5 years). In 1992, Peter was named the Northern Professional of the Year by the New England Professional Tennis Association. Pinewoods has been lucky enough to have had Peter on staff since 1992. During the summer, he is the Tennis Director at Lakeridge in Torrington, CT. Peter is also a member of the Prince Elite Staff and the Teaching Pro National Team.
J.B. Nickles - Staff Pro
Certified by the PTR since 1985, JB has been teaching his style of tennis for almost 30 years. Originally from New Jersey, JB studied business at the University of South Florida before making his way back north to Connecticut in the early 1980’s. In competition, JB was successful in both singles & doubles, and earned top 10 rankings in New England. From 1991-1999, JB coached the men’s and women’s tennis teams at the University of Hartford, where he was awarded as the N.A.C. coach of the year in 1992, and the American East coach of the year in 1996. JB has been the head professional at the Canton Racquet Club, the Farmington Valley Racquet Club, & the Norfolk Country Club. During the spring, JB functions as the head coach of the Torrington High School girls tennis team.
Paul Fodiman - Staff Pro
Paul has played tennis since the age of 4. Originally from Connecticut, he moved south and trained competitively in Georgia and Tennessee with future pro’s as a junior, and played many tournaments in Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Detroit. Eventually, Paul moved back to Connecticut and became a top junior in New England. Paul is PTR certified. He was the director of the city of Waterbury’s Grass Roots program in 1995, working with over 40 kids, and was the Head Coach for the Wolcott High School’s boys tennis team for two years. He has taught at the Middlebury Racquet Club and the Norfolk Country Club, and started teaching at Pinewoods Health and Racquet Club in 1997. At Pinewoods, Paul has coached and trained many juniors to top standings in high school and college. He also has been the Director of Tennis at the Wyantenuck Country Club in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Paul has been affiliated with the Head/Penn Advisory Staff for many years and helped in there growth in pro shops in New England.
Dean Werner – Staff Pro
Dean is a United States Professional Tennis Association Certified Tennis Professional and has over 30 years of tennis teaching experience. He has worked as a Head Tennis Professional at several indoor and outdoor tennis clubs in the past and has taught hundreds of juniors over the years. Dean is also currently the Head Coach for the Lewis Mills High School Girl’s Tennis Team where he complied a 28-10 record in his first two seasons .
Bob Cofer - Owner
Bob is the Owner and General Manager of Pinewoods. He has been involved in the Indoor Tennis Club Business for over 25 years in positions including Staff Tennis Professional, Head Tennis Professional, Director of Tennis and Club Owner. Before buying Pinewoods in July 2009, Bob owned and operated West River Tennis and Fitness Center in Southern Vermont for 11 years. Before Vermont, he worked at clubs in Syracuse, N.Y., Cincinnati, Ohio and Washington D.C. Bob has been a United States Professional Tennis Association Member at the highest level for over 25 years. He has taught several junior tennis players to Top 50 Rankings in New England. Bob is also a proven player as he was the #1 player on his College Tennis Team, State University College at Oswego, New York in the 1980′s and more recently has been ranked in the Top Ten in New England in Singles in his Division every year since 2002. He achieved his highest ranking ever in 2009 and 2010 as he was the #2 Ranked Player in New England in the Men’s 45 and Over Singles Division. Bob has also been a Tennis Tournament Director for many years and created the Syracuse Adult Grand Prix Tournament Circuit in the Syracuse, New York Area in the 1990′s. The Syracuse Adult Grand Prix was a series of Tournaments held in the Syracuse, N.Y. area where Adults competed on a monthly basis to win prizes at the end of the year.