By: Coach Tom, March 2009

 

Playing and teaching tennis have been a part of my life for the past ten years.  At first, it was about playing and improving my skills, but eventually teaching others started to become important.  Throughout college, I kept a part-time teaching position at the Cupertino Sports Center (CSC) helping players of all skill levels and ages find a passion for tennis.  After earning my Bachelors Degree in Education, this part-time hobby blossomed into a full-time devotion and I got to do the two things I have always enjoyed:  teaching and playing tennis.  It was during this time that I was approached by a couple of players on the Saratoga High Tennis Team; the school’s girls team was in need of a coach. I remember thinking to myself that this could be a great experience and an opportunity to coach a High School Team. 

 

Since taking on the coaching position for the Girls Tennis Team, I have never looked back.  And three years after I began coaching at SHS, this year I was also given the opportunity to coach the Boys Tennis Team.

 

I have been very fortunate to inherit a tennis program at a school that has many great players.  In addition to having great skills on the tennis court, the players’ attitudes off the court make them a pleasure to work with.  It makes my job easy when I have players who think of the team first, especially in a sport that is usually characterized as very individualistic. 

 

However, even coaching a successful team has its challenges.  I have found my “young-ness” (in age) sometimes works against me as a coach.  I have found that being on the younger side, I have to work at getting the players to see me as a “coach” and not as a “friend”.  To do this, I set rules and standards at the beginning of the season so each player knows what to expect; I let them know that testing the system carries consequences.  I think being firm, but fair, is a good philosophy - especially when coaching a team of players who are used to being successful. 

 

The three years that I have been with the SHS team, we have accomplished many feats.  This past season the team produced the best result it has seen in over five years: it finished 3rd place out of 96 teams in the Peach Tree Classic, finished 1st place in league, and was the Finalist in both CCS and CIF-Norcal.  Additionally, it is ranked top two in Northern California and top ten in the State.  The team’s overall record over the past three seasons is 52-14.  While I like to consider myself a contributor to the team’s overall success, I do give all the credit to the players for getting the job done on the tennis court and in the classrooms. 

 

The team’s accomplishments allowed me to be nominated for High School Coach of the Year this past season by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA).  Although at the end I lost out to the coach whose team finished 1st in CCS and Norcal, I feel very honored to have been considered for the award given my short tenure at SHS.

 

I plan to continue coaching the tennis teams at Saratoga High for as long as possible.  Each season, I set certain goals for the teams, and one of the goals always is to compete in CCS where hopefully the team will go all the way.  We came up just short of the ultimate CCS goal last season, but if all goes well, we will be back next season to challenge the title again. 

 

GO TOGA!