Welcome to the Bruce Nagel Tennis Academy at the Kailua Racquet Club. We have programs to suit all ages and abilities, from the ever popular XR10S and Doubles Strategy classes for adults to the beginning Pee Wee junior classes and our well coached junior teams; we make learning the game fun.
Attention JUNIORS!
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ADULTS
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Meet the Coaching Staff
Bruce Nagel, Director of Tennis, USPTA Elite Pro
Bruce has been at the Kailua Racquet for 27 years. Born in Los Angeles, and raised in Utah and Iowa, he was Iowa State High School Champion in both singles and doubles. He played #1 at the University of Iowa where he was two-time All Big Ten, and where he received his degree in Business Administration with areas of concentration in Statistical Analysis and Marketing. For the last 17 years, Bruce has also served as the General Manager of the club. Bruce has been a member of the USPTA since 1985, is certified as an Elite Pro, and has served as President of the Hawaii Division of the USPTA three times. He was the USPTA Hawaii "Pro of the Year" in 2005. He is also a member of the Club Manager's Association of America. His favorite hobby is stand-up paddle surfing.
Jared Carstenn, Head Tennis Professional, USPTA certified
Jared Carstenn cut his teeth on tennis courts carved out of the swamps of North Central Florida. He first got involved in the tennis industry as a teenager at the Fort King Tennis Center in Ocala, Florida. After competing in the Florida High School State Tennis Championship Tournament as a senior at Vanguard High School, he moved to Hawaii for college. He attended Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he studied English and Political Science.
Jared has been teaching tennis at the Bruce Nagel Tennis Academy at the Kailua Racquet Club for over a decade. He has made a mark in the Hawaii tennis community by taking every opportunity to get involved in tournaments, leagues, and functions at the Kailua Racquet Club and around the islands. Jared is always looking to learn more about the game to be a better teacher for the students at BNTA. He has perfected teaching XR10S, which is the foundation of the most popular adult tennis program in the state. His role in the academy has grown over the years, and is now the Head Tennis Professional at BNTA.
You'll usually find Jared at the club running adult clinics, private lessons, junior classes, team matches, and just being an all-around member of the KRC and BNTA family.
He is known around the state as the "On Court Correspondent" for the club's Men's, Women's, and Mixed Night Doubles tournaments. His fun interviews, with tough and often hilarious questions, with the players after their matches, are enjoyed by the players and spectators alike.
When he's not on the tennis court, Jared enjoys surfing, golf, volleyball, and taking advantage of all that Kailua and Hawaii has to offer. Hawaii has been home to Jared since 2003 and there is no other place that he would rather be! HERE is a youtube video that explains it all!
Jared has been teaching tennis at the Bruce Nagel Tennis Academy at the Kailua Racquet Club for over a decade. He has made a mark in the Hawaii tennis community by taking every opportunity to get involved in tournaments, leagues, and functions at the Kailua Racquet Club and around the islands. Jared is always looking to learn more about the game to be a better teacher for the students at BNTA. He has perfected teaching XR10S, which is the foundation of the most popular adult tennis program in the state. His role in the academy has grown over the years, and is now the Head Tennis Professional at BNTA.
You'll usually find Jared at the club running adult clinics, private lessons, junior classes, team matches, and just being an all-around member of the KRC and BNTA family.
He is known around the state as the "On Court Correspondent" for the club's Men's, Women's, and Mixed Night Doubles tournaments. His fun interviews, with tough and often hilarious questions, with the players after their matches, are enjoyed by the players and spectators alike.
When he's not on the tennis court, Jared enjoys surfing, golf, volleyball, and taking advantage of all that Kailua and Hawaii has to offer. Hawaii has been home to Jared since 2003 and there is no other place that he would rather be! HERE is a youtube video that explains it all!
Alli Thamm, Tennis Professional
Alli grew up at the base of the flatirons in Boulder Colorado. She arrived in the tennis world at the age of 14, and quickly progressed to play on a high performance tennis team. She began coaching tennis at the age of 16 at the same club she learned to play at. After graduating high school she took a gap year to spend 3 months in South Africa traveling along the garden route, volunteering at a game reserve in Port Elizabeth, and at a daycare in Oudtshoorn. The rest of the year she spent in Australia and working as a tennis coach at her hometown club. In her year off, Alli received a Professional level certification from PTR to coach 10 and under, and adult tennis. Once she finished her year off she came to Oahu fall of 2016 to study International Affairs at Hawai'i Pacific University. Jared and Bruce took her under their wings to start working with the juniors at Kailua Racquet Club. Alli's love for tennis has guided her to find a passion in coaching and working with people of all ages.
When Alli is not coaching, you will find her studying at Morning Brew, eating at Whole Foods, and burning at the beach.
Alli grew up at the base of the flatirons in Boulder Colorado. She arrived in the tennis world at the age of 14, and quickly progressed to play on a high performance tennis team. She began coaching tennis at the age of 16 at the same club she learned to play at. After graduating high school she took a gap year to spend 3 months in South Africa traveling along the garden route, volunteering at a game reserve in Port Elizabeth, and at a daycare in Oudtshoorn. The rest of the year she spent in Australia and working as a tennis coach at her hometown club. In her year off, Alli received a Professional level certification from PTR to coach 10 and under, and adult tennis. Once she finished her year off she came to Oahu fall of 2016 to study International Affairs at Hawai'i Pacific University. Jared and Bruce took her under their wings to start working with the juniors at Kailua Racquet Club. Alli's love for tennis has guided her to find a passion in coaching and working with people of all ages.
When Alli is not coaching, you will find her studying at Morning Brew, eating at Whole Foods, and burning at the beach.
Rajeev Datt, USPTA Elite Pro
Rajeev was a scholar-athlete who helped CSULA garner a #11 national team ranking. He also got ranked top 20 individually for doubles in the NCAA’S before graduating. While playing the Men’s Open division in California, he was ranked in the top 20 in singles and doubles. Rajeev has been teaching tennis for almost 30 years and is an Elite Level Professional through the USPTA.
Over the years, he has taught at country clubs such as The Riviera and El Caballero, as well as having coached at tennis academies such as Top Seed and the Lansdorp-Ducasse Tennis Academy. In the last few years Rajeev took a more active leadership role in tennis, as a member of the USPTA Board in Southern California, serving as a VP then as president of District II, while also becoming a presenter at conventions.
Rajeev is also a veteran of college coaching, having spent 10 seasons as the Head Men's Coach at Los Angeles Pierce College, before moving to Hawaii. He was voted WSC conference coach of the year by his peers, and he is the first coach in Pierce College history to take players to the ITA Small College Nationals. His proudest moments as a coach always are witnessing his students succeed in life, as well as on the tennis court. For instance, when on 4 different occasions, he had his player graduate summa cum laude; or when one of his college players won the coveted National ITA Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award in 2013. One of Rajeev’s favorite philosophies is: “One must visualize to actualize.” Rajeev loves tennis - whether it’s playing or coaching the game!
Rajeev was a scholar-athlete who helped CSULA garner a #11 national team ranking. He also got ranked top 20 individually for doubles in the NCAA’S before graduating. While playing the Men’s Open division in California, he was ranked in the top 20 in singles and doubles. Rajeev has been teaching tennis for almost 30 years and is an Elite Level Professional through the USPTA.
Over the years, he has taught at country clubs such as The Riviera and El Caballero, as well as having coached at tennis academies such as Top Seed and the Lansdorp-Ducasse Tennis Academy. In the last few years Rajeev took a more active leadership role in tennis, as a member of the USPTA Board in Southern California, serving as a VP then as president of District II, while also becoming a presenter at conventions.
Rajeev is also a veteran of college coaching, having spent 10 seasons as the Head Men's Coach at Los Angeles Pierce College, before moving to Hawaii. He was voted WSC conference coach of the year by his peers, and he is the first coach in Pierce College history to take players to the ITA Small College Nationals. His proudest moments as a coach always are witnessing his students succeed in life, as well as on the tennis court. For instance, when on 4 different occasions, he had his player graduate summa cum laude; or when one of his college players won the coveted National ITA Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award in 2013. One of Rajeev’s favorite philosophies is: “One must visualize to actualize.” Rajeev loves tennis - whether it’s playing or coaching the game!
