Doug Abell’s athletic and sports teaching background is in gymnastics and he started playing Pickleball in 2016. He first met Mindy at a Pickleball camp in September, 2018. They got married on the pickleball court at that same camp in September 2023. When he is not at his full time job at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Lexington, KY, Doug is a 4.5/5.0 tournament player and travels with Mindy to teach. He enjoys watching people smile and laugh while helping them reach their pickleball goals.
MaryHelen Atkins
Maryhelen Atkins is an IPTPA-certified instructor and the former director of the NC IPTPA training facility. She is qualified to train and certify instructors on how to uphold the strict IPTPA standards of pickleball instruction so I don’t think you will find anyone more qualified to lead our clinics! Additionally, Maryhelen is consistently in the top 10 in the Senior Pro Doubles rankings and has recently been recruited to join in the National Pickleball League draft!
Some recent notable wins in 2022 include GOLD at the Rocky Mountain Championships in Senior Pro WD & MXD; GOLD in Senior Pro MXD at the Atlanta Metro APP; SILVER at the Atlanta Metro APP in Senior Pro WD; SILVER at the Boca Raton APP in Senior Pro WD; SILVER at the APP Los Angeles in Senior Pro WD; SILVER at the APP Hilton Head in Senior Pro WD & MXD; and BRONZE at the Sunmed Houston APP in Senior Pro WD.
Zach and Alex Bost
Zach and Alex Bost are former collegiate tennis players who seamlessly transitioned their competitive backgrounds into playing and teaching pickleball.
Zach serves as the Director of Racquets at Grandfather Golf and Country Club in the mountains of North Carolina, where he oversees and teaches both tennis and pickleball. He regularly competes in pickleball pro-ams and local 5.0+ tournaments, bringing high-level play, strategy, and current competitive insight into his instruction.
Alex is also on staff at Grandfather Golf and Country Club, where she teaches pickleball and frequently plays alongside Zach.
Zach and Alex are passionate about helping players of all levels grow their skills, confidence, and enjoyment of pickleball—and they truly love spending time on court sharing the game with others
Jim Dobran
Jim Dobran is a touring pro on the APP and PPA tours. He is currently the Head Coach of MLP’s Brooklyn Aces
Jim’s 6.14 DUPR has helped him earn multiple top 8 finishes on tour. A Pro player since 2021, Jim is best known for his upset of Tyson McGuffin and Jack Sock at the PPA North Carolina Open in 2023.
Before playing full-time, Jim taught Pickleball for 3 years at Pickleball Charlotte and was a high school math teacher for 7 years before that.
Deb Harrison
Deb is a Certified PPR/IPTPA coach with 24 years of coaching and playing experience. She is a gold medalist at prestigious tournaments, including the US Open, Nationals, State, Regionals, and Huntsman World, in both table tennis and pickleball over two decades. In 2018, she was honored as the Florida State Senior Games Athlete of the Decade and was also nominated for the Pickleball Hall of Fame. With over 200 videos available under her “PicklePongDebYouTube” channel, Deb shares her expertise with the community. As a traveling clinician, she has taught in various locations, including California, Illinois, Texas, Vermont, North Carolina, Georgia, Utah, Michigan, Delaware, Maine, all parts of Florida, and even aboard Royal Caribbean cruises. Deb’s mantra is, “It is more about the whack than the yack.”
Todd Headley
Todd Headley is a PPR Certified Teaching Professional who resides in Ashville, NC. Under his expert tutelage, several of his students are now competing successfully in 4.5 and 5,0 tournaments.
Todd was ranked in Top 10 for APP Masters Tour (60+) for 2023 in Men’s & Mixed Doubles and has numerous medals at such prestigious tournaments as Huntsman, Fall Brawl, Beer City Open and Senior Nationals.
Some notable wins of the past few years include:
GOLD at US Open 2021, Men’s Doubles 5.0, 55+
SILVER at US Open 2023, Men’s Doubles Open 60+ Age (with Mike !!)
BRONZE US Open 2021, Men’s Doubles Open 55+
BRONZE at Nationals 2021, Men’s Doubles 5.0, 50+
Kristin Hickman
Kristin resides in Columbia, SC where she played the #1 position on her college tennis team for 4 years. Kristin began playing pickleball in 2014 in Salt Lake City, UT.
From 2023 through 2025, Kristin was ranked as the #1 female player in Mixed Doubles, Doubles and Singles on the APP Masters Pro Tour at various times. For an extended time, she was #1 in all three events.
She has won multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in Senior Pro and Masters Pro events. She is a 10+ Time Pickleball National Champion – Gold Medalist (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles).
She won 4 Gold Medals at 2025 US Open Pickleball Championships and 3 Gold Medals at 2024 US Open Pickleball Championships. She won a Triple Crown in the Senior Pro Division at the 2024 English Open and a Triple Crown at the 2024 US National Pickleball Championships. She was a Team Captain for the 2024 and 2025 APP Humana Cup Masters Pro League.
Kristin teaches pickleball camps in the US and in the Caribbean.
Bob & Elizabeth Higginbottom
Bob and Elizabeth Higginbottom are the Head Pros and Department Heads at Beech Mountain Country Club in Beech Mountain, NC.
They began running the BMC Pickleball Center the year it opened in 2015.
Under their guidance, the Center operates a full calendar of daily and weekly pickleball activities, private lessons, and hosts numerous events throughout the season, such as mixers, festivals and tournaments.
Bob and Elizabeth began playing pickleball in 2007, traveling around the country in their RV to feed their addiction. Each has attained a USAPA legacy tournament rating of 4.5 through medals won at various tournaments throughout the country. They began teaching 13 years ago. Bob is a level 1 and level 2 IPTPA-certified teaching professional as well as a Certified Ratings Specialist. Elizabeth has served on the board of the Pickleball Hall of Fame as well as chairing the PHOF Nominating Committee. She has run numerous large tournaments, including the inaugural PHOFC in Dripping Springs, TX.
Gigi LeMaster
GIGI LEMASTER HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE 2021 Gigi began playing pickleball in 2011 and worked her way through the various skill levels to reach the PRO level in 2013 when she won both events in the first-ever professional Tournament of Champions with the biggest prize purse ever paid out at that time for a Tournament. She has won over two hundred Gold Medals, a 6-time US Open Champion, and a twelve-time Nationals Medalist. Gigi has medaled in all of the major tournaments from 2011-2023. She is a five-time International Champion, having won titles in Canada, Finland, and the Netherlands. In 2021, Gigi was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame. A Certified International Teaching Professional, she helped grow the sport as a USAP Ambassador & Certified Referee for the first 10 years of her career.
Jodie Merrill
Jodie Merrill has been teaching for 4 years and assisting pickleball players who are ready to launch their skills to a higher level. She uses knowledge, creativity and drills that promote the most enjoyable ways to improve. Her engaging personality is a bonus and she is delightful both on and off the court! With Jodie as your instructor, you will find that fun and learning go hand in hand.
Some notable past accomplishments include GOLD in the USAPA Mid Atlantic 4.5 WD; GOLD in the 35+ WD open division at the NC Open; GOLD in 4.5 WD at the River Run Grand Prixe Indoor; SILVER in 4.5MXD at the Atlantic South Regional; and BRONZE in 4.5 WD at the US Open!
