Asheville Racquet & Fitness Club

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	Mindy Sheppard - Director of Tennis Mindy Sheppard came to Asheville Racquet Club in the summer of 1998, working part time running the summer camps and assisting in the junior programs. She took on a full time role as a teaching pro in January 2002. In January 2005, she became the Director of Tennis. In this capacity, she is in charge of running all aspects of the tennis program, including tournaments, summer camps, private and group lessons, team league clinics and socials, and cardio tennis, as well as other member affiliated events. Mindy grew up playing junior tennis in Wisconsin and played competitive tennis as a junior throughout the Midwest. She continued to play competitively at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for 4 years for a Division 1 tennis program. As a tennis pro, Mindy is passionate about catering to all levels of play and all types of players. She works just as effectively with young children, adult beginners, advanced level juniors and adults, as well as older adults. She is careful to learn the goals of every student and shapes her lessons accordingly. An accomplished athlete herself, Mindy is especially interested in fitness. She is a great believer in strong footwork and physical stamina in order to maximize one’s performance on the court. She is also very attentive to all aspects of the game, including timing, stroke technique, shot selection, and style of play. As passionate as Mindy is about tennis, she ultimately believes tennis should be fun. In addition to her love of the game, Mindy cares deeply about the members and is always seeking new ways to add value to their membership experience!
	Alex Zaluzhnyy Alex, a native of Lviv Ukraine, came to the Asheville Racquet Club in the spring of 2001 as a full time teaching Pro. Alex teaches individual, group lessons and clinics. Alex was a top ranked international junior player and has won prestigious titles throughout Bulgaria, Germany, Ukraine, Poland, France, and Finland. Alex graduated from the State Institute of Physical Education and Sports in 1980, specializing in tennis. He moved onto teaching in 1982 and worked as a tennis coach for young players, preparing them for various tournaments in the Ukraine. He worked for various tennis clubs in Germany for nearly four years before migrating back to the Ukraine to work as the Head Tennis Coach until March of 2001. In this role, he worked and prepared many young top tennis players for local and international tournaments, most of who were members of the National Junior Tennis Team. Alex emphasizes tactics and classical technique. In addition to his love of tennis, Alex loves music, art and performances. He also loves to travel and has traveled throughout the Northeast, Midwest and the South.
	Gerald Depka Gerald joined the Asheville Racquet Club team in the summer of 2003 as a part time teaching Pro. In January of 2005, he signed on as a full time teaching Pro in charge of the Tournament Team, a program which develops top juniors for the highly competitive sectional and national tennis tournaments. He also continues to teach adult and children individual and group lessons. Gerald emphasizes the “physics” of hitting the ball and employs a “systemized” approach to teaching tennis with a focus on the fundamentals. This emphasis came from his nine years working under Craig Tiley, the head men’s coach at the Atkins tennis center at the University of Illinois. Under Craig Tiley, Gerald developed a commitment to a scientific approach to tennis instructional programs. Here Gerald was also responsible for the planning, development and administration of all phases of the Atkins Tennis Center and its programs including the $50,000 USTA Challenger at Urbana - Champaign, the largest men’s professional tennis event in Illinois. Gerald also worked with Vic Braden at the St George Tennis College in Utah.
	Laura Gardiner Bio coming soon...