COACHES

MEET OUR TEAM

Gathered internationally to meet you across the net, let us introduce you to remarkable world-class tennis coaching in Boulder! We’re extremely proud of our dynamic, professional team, and we look forward to working with you!

DUKE PALUCH

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Founder

DONNA CHITAMBAR

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Founder

KENDALL CHITAMBAR

DIRECTOR OF TENNIS
Founder

ESTEBAN (COCO) de ARCOS

JUNIOR PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

BEN BERTINO

STAFF PROFESSIONAL

Oscar Valenzuela

STAFF PROFESSIONAL

Duke Paluch

  • RMTC Founder, Executive Director
  • Club Manager of former Harvest House Tennis since 1985
  • 5430 Kids Tennis Foundation Founder
  • Two-time collegiate All American, Gustavus Adolphus College
  • Gustavus Adolphus College Athletic Hall of Fame, 2012
  • Top-ranked junior Northern Section, nationally ranked
  • State of South Dakota – Tennis Hall of Fame inductee
  • Bachelor of Arts – Finance, Gustavus Adolphus College
  • USPTA Certified (Elite Professional)
  • PTR Master of Tennis-Performance; PTR Adult Certified
  • USTA/USPTA Wheelchair Tennis Certified Coach
  • USTA Colorado Tournament Committee Member – 20 years!
  • USTA Net Generation certified /verified Coach
  • Over 30 years coaching experience working with all levels juniors & adults

    “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!” – Muhammad Ali

Donna Chitambar

  • RMTC Founder, Director of Operations, Director of Marketing, RMTC Stylist!
  • High Performance Tennis Program (HPTP) Coordinator
  • 5430 Kids Tennis Foundation Founder
  • Her enthusiasm, dedication, and expertise are driving forces in the success of the Rocky Mountain Tennis Center
  • Passionate Adult 4.5 player captaining USTA League teams since 2010!
  • Management of high-end tennis clubs since 1999
  • Spa Management 1999-2006 – “Customer Service and hospitality are a must for any Club”
  • Bachelor of Science – Fashion Design, The Ohio State University
  • Kindergarten Teacher – 2 years
  • PTR certified Juniors and Adults
  • USTA Net Generation certified /verified Coach
  • Over 10 years coaching experience focusing on all levels of juniors

         “I love kids, and I love teaching them the game of tennis – Make it Fun and they love it too!”

KENDALL Chitambar

  • RMTC Founder, Director of Tennis
  • Directly oversees all aspects of the RMTC teaching program
  • 5430 Kids Tennis Foundation Founder
  • Former ITF professional player
  • Former #5 Men’s Open – Florida
  • Former #1 35’s & 40’s – Colorado
  • Studied Computer Science & Mechanical Engineering, Norwich University, Vanderbilt University, University of Colorado-Boulder
  • USPTA (Elite Professional)
  • PTR Master of Tennis – Performance
  • PTR Master of Tennis – Junior Development
  • International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) – TPT Certified
  • USTA/USPTA/PTR Wheelchair Tennis Certified Coach
  • USTA National Wheelchair Committee Member – 2 years
  • USPTA-Intermountain Board of Directors, 2016-2019
  • USTA Net Generation Junior Wheelchair Regional Provider – Intermountain Region
  • USTA Net Generation certified/verified Coach
  • Over 30 years coaching experience at all levels from pre-K to Pros & age 2 to 96!

          “The sport of tennis has defined my life.”      

Esteban (Coco) De Arcos

  • RMTC Junior Programs Director; Adult & Junior Programs Lead Coach
  • Director, Superior Tennis by RMTC Summer Program
  • Oversees all aspects of the Junior Development Program at RMTC & Superior Tennis
  • Loved attending the Davis Cup tie Argentina v. Australia in Sydney and teaches students the great joys of competition stimulated from those memories!
  • Licensed private pilot! Performing band member on rhythm guitar!
  • Known for his energy & enthusiasm among his students
  • Started to play tennis when he was 7 years old in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Bachelor of Arts – Sports Journalism, Universidad Círculo de Periodistas Deportivos
  • USPTA Elite Professional
  • PTR Adult & Junior certified
  • International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) – TPT Certified
  • USTA/USPTA Wheelchair certified
  • USTA Net Generation certified/verified Coach
  • 15 years coaching experience working with all levels of juniors & adults

         “Tennis is like music. It has Tempo, Rhythm, and Dancing (footwork)! It is a great workout for the body & the mind!”

Ben Bertino

  • RMTC Staff Professional
  • Top 20 Sectionally ranked junior, Middle States Section
  • Played 1 year varsity tennis, College of New Jersey
  • Currently studying Psychology at Naropa University
  • Ben started playing tennis at 10 and hasn’t put his racquet down since!
  • PTR Adult Development certified
  • International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) – TPT Certified
  • USTA Net Generation certified/verified Coach
  • 5 years coaching experience working with all levels of juniors & adults

      “As a Buddhist practitioner and student of psychology, I am deeply interested in the mind’s role in the game of tennis!”

Oscar Valenzuela

  • RMTC High Performance and Junior Programs Lead Coach
  • Director, Devil’s Thumb by RMTC Summer Tennis Program
  • Top 5 Nationally ranked junior, Mexico
  • Played 5 years varsity tennis team University of Chihuahua
  • Nationally ranked collegiate player, Mexico
  • Bachelor of Science,
  • Business Management
  • Engineering, Instituto Technólgico de Chihuahua II, Mexico
  • USPTA Elite Professional
  • International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) – TPT Certified
  • USTA/USPTA Wheelchair Certification 
  • USTA Net Generation certified/verified Coach
  • 10 years coaching experience working with all levels of juniors & adults

          “I’m Coach “O”. I started to play tennis when I was four years old, in Chihuahua, Mexico! I’ve been coaching since I was 17 years old and that’s when I discovered my passion for coaching. The main thing I’ve learned from tennis is that there is no way around hard work!”

This program is by invitation from the coach only.