Tennis, Anyone?

That's right. I'm doing my good deed for the day. This may be a good deed for at least a month or two to be honest with you. I'm serving as the school's tennis coach. I knew the school was in a bind since the tennis coach from last year moved out of state, and the only other people with tennis background are the two varsity basketball coaches. They're both firmly involved in their respective playoff runs, and one of them is leaving the school at the end of the season to take the head women's job at a small Christian college. I made sure the AD knew I had absolutely no background in tennis, and inexplicably, he wanted me for the position anyway.

This will definitely be a new and interesting experience for me. I've only minimally played the sport outside of gym class, so there will likely be some people on the team with more tennis knowledge than me. Yeah, it is a bit intimidating, but at the same time, I think I can still teach them a thing or two. I'm working on obtaining actual tennis drills and practices, but I do know enough about the game to know quickness and agility are very important. We did some drills today to work on those skills, and I definitely see the need to continue and augment this aspect of the training. Matches don't begin until March 1, so I've still got some time to develop into a tennis guru.

We had 12 players show up yesterday and an extra three showed up today. There may still be a few out there in the woodwork who want to come out. I know for some of the guys on the team, this is their only sport, so I do feel good that they are able to compete this year. Several of the players I have in class, and that adds an extra aspect to the student/teacher relationship that I really enjoy.

I'll keep you posted.......