MEET OUR TEAM
Bryce Cunningham, Senior Director of Racquets
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A native of Australia and a USPTA Elite Professional, Bryce Cunningham brings prestigious international experience as a player, coach, and in tennis management to The Club at La Costa and Cliff Drysdale Tennis. Bryce joined Cliff Drysdale Tennis Management in 2008 and since has worked at several world renowned tennis resorts across the county including the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Florida. In 2013, Bryce was named USPTA Pro of the Year for the Florida panhandle and in 2016, the Omni La Costa Tennis Center was named USPTA Club of The Year for the San Diego Division under his management.
Norman Nguyen, Program Director
Norm comes to Cliff Drysdale Tennis after most recently serving as the Assistant Program Coordinator at New Rochelle Racquet Club in New York and Tennis Director at the Christmas Cove Improvement Association in South Bristol, ME. Hailing from Boston, MA, Norm brings experience in working with a wide range of students, spanning from 10-and-under to adults, as well as high-performance players. After earning a Master’s degree in Sports Management, Norm knew coaching was his passion, and he built his coaching philosophy around developing strong habits and building confidence for his students. His career began with coaching high school teams, running local summer tennis programming, and serving as the Assistant Coach for the Men's and Women's Tennis teams at Williams College and he’s thrilled to now be in California as a member of the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Team.
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Gee Gee Garvin, Pickleball Professional
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Gee Gee has over 25 years of coaching experience as a professional tennis coach, college coach, high school coach, and a private coach. After college, Gee Gee competed in a few WTA pro events, USTA National Level I tournaments winning many national titles. She represented the USA Suzanne Lenglen Team as a member, and as a Captain internationally. Gee Gee has a world title winning the ITF World Championship in doubles.
Gee Gee’s pickleball playing achievements include winning several pickleball titles and medaling at pro-level events which include the Tournament of Champions, Hawaii Open, So Cal Classic, Las Vegas Open, 2 time US Open Gold medalist, Canadian National Champion, USAP National multiple medalist. Her highest ranking has been in the top 10.
Sean Stewart, Tennis Professional
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Sean has been a member of the USPTA since 1984 and has a Pro-1 rating. He attended UC Berkeley and was a member of one of the nation’s top-ranked collegiate men’s tennis teams. Sean has a passion for tennis and enjoys teaching, whether it is fundamentals, tactics or strategy you want to work on; Sean is knowledgeable in all facets of the game.
Brian Blumenfield, Tennis Professional
Brian has been teaching at the resort since 2005. Brian attended the University of Rhode Island and played two years of division 1 tennis singles and doubles - making all rookie his freshman year. He works with adults and children and is available for lessons and clinics.
Daniel Mergener, Tennis Professional
Brought to us by the small town of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, Daniel is a recent graduate of the 12-month PTU Program offered through Cliff Drysdale Tennis Management. Daniel played 4 years of varsity high school tennis and then coached the same team for 2 years as well. Daniel's favorite shot is his backhand and also likes to hit a tweener from time to time. Daniel loves to work with and teach players of all different ages and ability levels and whether you like high energy or high performance, Daniel does it all! If you see Daniel around, never hesitate to say hello!! Before joining the team at Omni La Costa, Daniel was most recently a teaching professional at one of our sister clubs, Omni Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Florida.
Júlia Aliseda Antón,Tennis Professional
Júlia Aliseda Antón comes from Tarragona, Spain, but she recently graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a major in Applied Health: Exercise Science. Julia has been part of the college tennis team at Northwest for the last 4 years where she has been the captain of the women’s team for the last two. Julia had a great college career: in her freshman year, she earned the #57 National Ranking, finished top 8 singles in her region in Fall 2018, Júlia and her team won the regional tournament and qualified for the National tournament in Altamonte Springs, FL where they finished #8 nationally. Moreover, Julia has been recognized as MIAA player of the week in 2021 and received multiple academic honors.
Júlia started playing tennis at 4 years old and competed in her hometown for more than 10 years, including in national tournaments and ITF. In Spain, Julia has been ranked among the best players in her region achieving multiple titles and finals in Catalonia. Teaching experience-wise, Júlia has worked in different tennis clubs in Spain; in the United States, she worked at the 2021 Northwest Missouri tennis camps. Júlia is excited to share her tennis experience and to help players of all levels and ages to improve their tennis skills and abilities at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa.