Collin Johns

Collin is ranked in the top 5 in Men’s Pro Doubles, having captured 20 professional titles to date—including back-to-back US Open crowns. He played on the Pro Tennis Tour for almost a decade, and he also has experience in table tennis. Both of those racquet sports have guided his pickleball skills to the level they are at now, which many pickleball players with tennis backgrounds can relate to! Collin represents Electrum Pickleball and is a Professional Pickleball Registry clinician and contributor. He is also co-owner and co-founder of Pickleball 360, alongside Dekel Bar and younger brother Ben Johns.

Collin has led numerous certifications, lessons, clinics, and camps in the past. He is one of Pickleball Getaways’ most frequent and renowned instructors! He is famous for his flawless pickleball technique, and his effortless explanations of those techniques. Keep an eye out for getaways with Collin attending!

Updated 08/24/22

Brian Ashworth

Brian has been playing and teaching pickleball for almost 12 years, gaining masses of experience in the sport since it began to develop into what it is today. Despite not having background in other racquet sports, he has played and taught with the top pros all over the world. He represents Oneshot pickleball.

Brian attended our getaway to Portugal in the Summer of 2022, and had a blast with our guests! He is a clever teacher, an entertaining player, and he brings energy and excitement to the courts. We look forward to having Brian on more Getaways in the future!

Updated 08/24/22

Martina Kochli

Martina is originally from Slovenia, and she now resides in Miami, FL. She played D1 tennis in Texas, but in 2018 she discovered pickleball and never looked back. Martina and her husband Andrew own a company called American Pickleball, which they love running events with all over the country. They are also parents to Scarlett (11) and Thayer (6), who enjoy playing pickleball and competitive lacrosse. Martina is apart of Team Vulcan.

Martina has taught on Getaways in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Portugal, and is known for her charisma and warm demeanor. We will be hosting Getaways in her home country, Slovenia—be sure to join Martina there and on other getaways!

Updated 08/24/22

Joey Farias

Joey is from Corpus Christi, Texas and grew up playing tennis at a very high level. Some of his most notable highlights include wins against Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner! Those tennis skills transferred easily to pickleball, where Joey became one of the first well-known professionals in the sport.

Currently, Joey is the Director of Sports at Riverland in Port St Lucie, Florida, where he oversees 37 pickleball courts, 10 tennis courts and 8 bocce courts with his wife, Toni. Joey has been playing and coaching pickleball for 8 years and has been the face of Gearbox Pickleball, his primary sponsor. His years of experience coaching high level tennis made the transition to coaching pickleball as smooth as his backhand groundstroke! For all you tennis players who converted to pickleball, you’ll love Joey’s tennis background as he relates those skills to pickleball.

Make sure to ask Joey about his tennis days when you see him on a getaway someday!

Updated 09/27/22

Jordi Vigna

Jordi is originally from California, and she now resides in Montréal, Québec. Jordi has played competitively in numerous sports, including soccer, volleyball, softball, and spikeball. She is the 2019 Spikeball National Champion and competes at the professional level, often alongside fellow Pickleball Getaways Pro Preston Bies.

Jordi has been coaching and leading teams since she was 14 years old, amassing experience from such a young age that it is second nature to her! She applies her skills as an instructor to a wide variety of sports, and most recently has started coaching pickleball.

Jordi picked up pickleball about 3 years ago, and now she coaches in clinics run by her sponsor, Joola, runs independent clinics in the US and Canada, and—of course—also attends Getaways as often as she can!

Updated 09/27/22

Brandon Nsekpong

32-year-old Brandon is from Dallas, Texas, although he is originally of Nigerian heritage. He currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and 1-year-old son, and he works full-time at Amazon when he’s not attending Pickleball Getaways!

Brandon started playing racquet sports at the age of 7, and always kept a table tennis paddle on hand. Building up racquet sport skills at such a young age resulted in several US Open appearances.

After playing pickleball for about 5 years, Brandon only recently turned pro in 2021. So far, his career as a professional pickleball player has been very successful! He has over eight top-10 results in tournaments and is ranked #38 in the world.

Our last getaway to the Mayan Riviera in early December (2022) was made all the better thanks to Brandon’s presence, and we look forward to having him teach our guests more in the future!

Updated 12/15/22

KaSandra Gehrke

KaSandra lives in O’Fallon, IL, after having graduated from the University of Whitewater, WI with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health. When she’s not playing or teaching pickleball, she enjoys Olympic weightlifting, bike riding, restorative yoga, and hanging out with friends!

After teaching club and middle school volleyball for 5 years, KaSandra discovered pickleball. Since she has played many sports in the past—including basketball, volleyball, and softball—she was in the perfect position to transfer her playing and teaching skills over to pickleball.

Since beginning her career in pickleball, KaSandra has been a 2019 US Open Medalist, a 2020 2x Regional Champion, and a 2021 National Indoor 2x Champion.

KaSandra is an experienced player and a PPR Certified Instructor, as well as a fun addition to our Pickleball Getaways! We’re excited to see KaSandra on more Getaways in the future, and we hope you are too!

Updated 12/17/22

Michelle Esquivel

Michelle was introduced to pickleball in 2014, and she decided to teach and play professionally full-time in 2018. Since then, she has medaled in several PPA and APP tournaments in both Pro Singles and Pro Doubles divisions. She has also been drafted and played in all Major League Pickleball seasons!

Before her pickleball journey, Michelle graduated from Concordia University, Irvine on a full ride tennis scholarship. She earned a BA in Exercise Sports Science with an emphasis in teaching and coaching. After graduating, she became a USPTA certified instructor at Matchpoint Tennis Academy, and a collegiate tennis coach at both Orange Coast College and Cypress College. She also obtained her Master’s Degree in Physical Education at Azusa Pacific University in order to teach Kinesiology courses at the collegiate level.

Michelle is a passionate teacher and coach and established herself as one of the top instructors in the game. She is IPTPA certified and Founder & Co-Director of Ultimate Pickleball Academy. She also has years of teaching experience with EngagePickleball Camps, LevelUp, Suncoast Pickleball Academy, Naples Pickleball Center, Toss and Spin, and—her favorite—Pickleball Getaways!

Updated 7/2/23