IHSTCA
Newsletter
-- Cross Court -MAY 2017
20th 2014-2018
Dear IHSTCA Member, I hope you are enjoying the weather. Who said coaching was supposed to be comfortable. I do hope you enjoy this newsletter. It includes the list of important dates and open dates. I want to take a minute to focus again on the interviews. I really enjoyed talking with Jack Wayne. He was an amazing coach and has been so gracious and complimentary. It is hard to believe that he started the program at a new school and helped build it to great heights. To know that he actually left coaching to spend more time with his kids as they were growing up and competing but came back to help both the boys and girls programs. Ten straight top ten finishes for the Boys at state during that time. I also hope you really enjoy the comments from Chrissie Nolan (now Jensen). She was a great player in high school and college. It is fun to hear her advice. I was sent this article that appeared in a Quincy newspaper. It is a great article about a great coach and friend. I think you will enjoy it. http://www.whig.com/20170402/sunday-conversation-with-mike-terry I also want to take a moment to wish Kelly Willard a Happy 40th Birthday. Someone asked me to describe Kelly. He has had a great impact on his players, Metamora High School, the Sport of Tennis, and the IHSTCA. Great coach, great guy, great legacy. Best of luck on the remainder of the season and the summer ahead. Sincerely, Greg Cohen (IHSTCA President)
IHSTCA Board of Directors Officers
Board Members
President: Greg Cohen (Warren) Pres Elect: Carrie Watson (Marion) Past Pres: Mike Terry (Quincy) Secretary: Jon Betts (Jacobs) Treasurer: Patti Shaw (Richwoods) Membership: Tres Heimann (York) At-Large: Rick Bailey (Johnsburg) Dan Brown (Nap. Central) Larry Faulkner (GBS/GBN) Fred Galluzzo (OPRF)
Matt Gross (Ottawa) Michael Hand (Benet) Bill Lange (GBS) Josh Leighton (Deerfield) Dave Lipe (Edwardsville) Sean Masoncup (SCN) Joe Rondone (Blm. CC) Bob Smith (Leyden) Kelly Willard (Metamora)
Publicity / Web Page Larry Faulkner (chair) Josh Leighton Sean Masoncup
All-State (Boys) Larry Faulkner (chair) Dan Skaer Bob Smith
All-State (Girls) Larry Faulkner (chair) Jon Betts Greg Cohen
Summer Workshop Jon Betts
Coach of the Year Carrie Watson (chair)
Newsletter Greg Cohen (chair)
Awards / Certificates Fred Galluzzo (chair)
Pitchford Sportsmanship Award (Girls + Boys) Matt Gross (chair)
Coaching Ethics Dave Lipe (Chair) Bill Lange
Historical Committee Century Club Tracy Waters-Miller (chair) Tres Heimann (chair) Chuck Morrison
Bob Smith
Kelly Willard
Hall of Fame Sean Masoncup Josh Leighton Bob Smith Kelly Willard
Workshop/Luncheon State Format Greg Cohen (chair) Josh Leighton (chair) Patti Shaw (Luncheon) Mike Hand Kelly Willard (Booklet) Kelly Willard Carrie Watson (Registration)
Please feel free to contact me:
Greg Cohen
[email protected] 847-910-1984
IMPORTANT DATES
FROM THE IHSA
List of Participants Due:
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
IHSA Boys Sectionals:
Fri/Sat, May 19 + 20, 2017
2017 Boys State Tournament :
May 25 – 27, 2017
IHSTCA Board Meeting:
Monday, July 24, 2017
2017 Kalamazoo:
August 4 – 13, 2017
2017 Girls Season Starts:
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
First Girls Contest:
Thursday, August 17, 2017
2017 Girls State Tournaments:
October 19 – 21, 2017
The IHSA Boys Tennis Post Season will soon be upon us and in preparation we have a few reminders.
2018 Winter Workshop:
Friday, February 2nd, 2018
Important IHSA Dates
OPEN DATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS Triad (Troy) High School
o Looking for 2 more teams for girls tournament o Saturday, September 9, 2017. o Contact Devan Faulkenberg at
[email protected]
Metamora High School
o o o o o o o
Spring 2018 – 1st EVER Class A “Pitchford” 16 Team Invite Friday April, 27 + Saturday, April 28 Four Matches, minimum of three matches guaranteed 12 strong teams committed – need four more top Class A teams. $100 per team – balls and awards provided Counts as two of twenty dates for schedule Contact Kelly Willard –
[email protected]
This is all we have for this newsletter – if you have an opening or announcement for the March newsletter, please contact me at
[email protected].
IHSA Update from Assistant Executive Director, Susie Knoblauch
Boys Tennis List of Participants Due Online at IHSA.org Tuesday, May 16th Sectional Seed Meeting at Host Sites – Wednesday, May 17th Sectionals – Friday/Saturday, May 19th & 20th State Final Seeding Meeting – Tuesday, May 23rd State Finals – Thursday through Saturday, May 25-27th (State Final Host Site – Hersey High School, Arlington Heights – Packet Pick-up for Qualifying Schools 6:00-8:00 p.m. May 24th) IHSA Schools Center – List of Participants A friendly reminder of the IHSA State Series Online Entry Process 1.
Go to IHSA.org and log into the Schools Center located at the top right of the home page
2. Once in the IHSA School Center click on the Tracker and locate Boys Tennis
4. List of Participants must be completed online by Tuesday, May 16, 2017 (Print a copy of your roster because the link will be unavailable after 5/16)
Points of Emphasis when completing the IHSA List of Participants:
3. Click on the List of Participants link and follow the 5 steps outlined in the instructions
List all eligible coaches (PES certified, concussion exam completed, and if applicable ASEP compliant) that you will be using or anticipate using during the state series
List all participants and bench roster in case you need to pull up participants due to injury or ineligibility
List all match history regardless if you think the student athlete will be seeded. This is your responsibility as a coach as this information is necessary to make appropriate seeds for both sectionals and state level competition.
If you have additional seed information for the committee to consider after the IHSA sectional, please submit the information electronically to the IHSA at
[email protected].
Please Note: Host Site Managers must post results online as soon as possible so we can begin organizing for the state seed meeting. The turnaround is quick for this process so submit results immediately after the conclusion of sectional level play. As we move into summer here are some IHSA Tennis Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs Q. What contact can coaches have with tennis players/teams during the summer? A. IHSA By-law 3.150 Special Provisions for Summer Participation https://www.ihsa.org/documents/forms/current/IHSA_Section3.pdf 3.151 Participation by high school students in summer programs must be voluntary and in no way be an actual or implied prerequisite for membership on a high school team. 3.153 Persons who coach a sport at a member school may have a maximum of 25 days of contact in that sport with students from that school during the period between the last day of classes or Monday of Week 49 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar (whichever date is earlier) in the spring each year and Sunday of Week 5 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar. The students may have a maximum of 25 days of contact per sport with persons who coach that sport at the school they attend during the same time period. A day of contact is defined as any date on which any coaching or instruction in the skills and techniques of any sport takes place. 3.155 Schools may conduct coaching schools, camps or clinics during the summer, provided: a) The event is conducted between the close of school in the spring and Sunday of Week 5 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar; b) The event is open to any high school student and is not restricted to students who have been or expect to be high school athletes; and, c) The event provides common instruction and activities for all participants.
In summary, we recommend that you have dialogue with your local athletic director regarding your plans for the summer and keep them apprised of your contact dates and camps. Finally, we hope that everyone has a safe and healthy spring with some wonderful competition. Remember that we are enriching the educational experience through interscholastic competition and you are a role model for exemplary sportsmanship! Thanks for your leadership and for your support of the IHSA! Truly, Susie Knoblauch Susan M. Knoblauch Assistant Executive Director Illinois High School Association 2715 McGraw Drive Bloomington, IL 61704 309-663-6377
http://www.ihsa.org
2018 WINTER WORKSHOP PREVIEW We are very excited about the 2018 workshop. The date will be the same Friday (Friday, February 2nd, 2018). This will be my final workshop as chairman as we will be transitioning to Sean Masoncup taking over that role. We have had successful workshops the past five years. I am really excited about the 2018 date. I am going to try to get two headline speakers at the 2018 date. I will definitely keep you updated in the future months as we progress.
FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 2ND, 2018 INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH This will be the sixth of a series of interviews with some of the Coaching Legends and Greats that have had an incredible impact on our sport and on our Coaches Association. This month I was able to reach out and talk with Jack Wayne. Coach Wayne had great success at Homewood-Flossmoor. Coach Wayne had great success starting and building the tennis program at H-F. I actually caught up with him while he was celebrating with his family for his wife’s 80th Birthday. I also have to acknowledge that I have had the privilege of getting to know Coach Wayne’s son and grandson while they were living in Lake Villa. It was a pleasure to have the entire Wayne Family at several of our summer and Labor Day tournaments. Some of the great numbers for the years at H-F: Sectional (including “District”) Titles: Head Coach 12, Total 32 Top 10 Finish at state: 4 Top 5 Finish at state: Boys 2 Assistant Coach: 10 Straight Top Ten Finishes (1990 – 99) IHSTCA Coach of the Year: 1975 IHSTCA Assistant Coach of the Year: 1996 IHSTCA Hall of Fame: 1985 1. How did you get started playing tennis? His parents were tennis players on the South Side of Chicago. He started with Park District Tennis. Did not play tennis in high school, Played football and baseball but tore up his knee in football. Decided to play on team at Illinois State his senior year and made the team. 2. What are your greatest memories of tennis as a player?
Senior year at ISU – played against Upper Iowa and played #6 singles along with #3 doubles. “I was undefeated in college tennis.” Late 1960’s while teaching tennis in the summer playing adult tournaments in the suburbs. 3. How did you get started coaching tennis? I taught one year at Stanford High School waiting for my wife to graduate at ISU. Took a job at Homewood-Flossmoor when it opened in 1959. First year at H-F he was the sophomore baseball coach. Started as the Varsity Boys Tennis coach in 1960. 4. What are your greatest memories from coaching? Having a doubles team win the state title in 1976 (Doug Cohen + Dave Goff). During 1960’s – no tennis in South Suburbs, we wanted to become good. Coaches agreeing to play us (Tom Pitchford at Arlington, Tom Henderson at Ottawa, W. Hughes Davis at New Trier, Keith Anderson at Evanston). Traveling to these meets – the kids got a thrill out the travel and meets. The first time H-F cracked the top ten – on the leaderboard at Huff Gym in Champaign. 5. What advice would you give to young coaches that want to start building a successful tennis program? Reach out and schedule with teams that are better and be willing to travel. Recruit athletes – “I used to watch Freshmen Basketball Try-outs.” One of top players in the 1970’s – great baseball player that decided to play tennis in high school. Ended his freshman year on the varsity. Went on to play at Tulane University. Run a strong summer program.
6. What advice would you give to a coach that is trying to prepare a singles player or doubles team for a possible state championship? Always put most of their time and effort into doubles. “It’s hard to compete with singles.” First Serve In – Get to the Net – Work Overheads, the only groundstrokes are returning serve Emphasis on sills throughout the season.
INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH-Former Player Kelly Willard made a great suggestion when I asked people about coaches to interview for the newsletter. He suggested that I interview former players from state. That certainly sounded like fun. This month I communicated with Chrissie Jensen (formerly Nolan). I tried unsuccessfully for the last six weeks to find Danny Weiss. I.
Chrissie (Nolan) Jensen
Teaching Athletes to play. 7. Do you have any general advice that you would give to anyone that was coaching tennis? Talk to players. Listen to them. Have them look you in the eye when you talk. Develop trust with your players. During the season – immerse yourself! Get to know the parents, encourage them to come often. 8. What was the greatest part of coaching for you? Relationships with coaches and players. H-F has a reunion of tennis players that has been taking place for over 40 years. Go to class reunions when invited. The relationships last a lifetime. 9. What was the most difficult part in coaching tennis for you? Without enough courts we had to make cuts. That was hard. As we built the program we were invited to Saturday tournaments. Those were very important but the traveling for tournaments and matches was difficult.
Three Time State Singles Champion 1997, 1998, 1999 th 1996 – 4 Place in Doubles with Sister 1. How did you get started playing tennis?
My older sister started to play tennis and I wanted to do everything just like her. My parents also enjoyed playing tennis. Both of these factors exposed me to tennis at a very young age! 2. What is your best memory of your high school tennis experience? Winning my first state singles tennis championship in 1997! I was behind most of the match and managed a great comeback to win in three sets. I still get excited thinking about that match today and how that shaped my confidence and future success in life. 3. What tennis did you continue to play after high school? I played at the University of Michigan on the Women’s team for four years and now today just play for fun socially. 4. What are you doing today? I live and work in Switzerland, and I have been based in Europe as an expatriate for over 10 years. At the moment, I work for a large multinational in corporate finance. For fun, I enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors with my poodle. 5. Would you have any message to send to high school coaches throughout the state of Illinois? You play an extremely important role in the life of your student athletes. I still remember today after twenty years both positive and negative situations I had with coaches in high school, so do not forget this and try to be the best mentor for your students. Also, make sure your student athletes have fun as the best performances always come from a place of passion and enjoyment for the sport.
IHSTCA AWARDS AND HONORS One of the most important parts of the IHSTCA is to honor the coaches that have done an outstanding job this year. We all know the time and effort it takes to do a good job as a coach. We also know the impact we have on our players for years to come. Congratulations to the following coaches: IHSTCA Lifetime Achievement: IHSTCA Hall of Fame:
Chuck Morrison Jerry Morse-Karzen (New Trier) Corky Leighton (Lake Forest) Boys Coach of the Year: Josh Leighton (Deerfield) Jon Betts (Jacobs) Boys Assistant Coach of the Year: Scott Greenspan (GBS) Girls Coach of the Year – A: Michael Hand (Benet Academy) Girls Coach of the Year – AA: Dempsey Willard (Whit. Young) Girls Assistant Coach of the Year: Adam Spencer (LaSalle-Peru) Regional Coaches of the Year: Boys Region #1: Boys Region #2: Boys Region #3: Boys Region #4: Boys Region #5:
Bob Champlin (Lockport) Tad Eckert (New Trier) Tim Ancona (Rockford. Christian) Jon Friesen (Normal University High) Sam Graf (Mascoutah)
Girls Class A Region #1: Girls Class A Region #2: Girls Class A Region #3: Girls Class A Region #4:
Duwuad Talib (Chicago University) Steve Price (Rockford Boylan) Patrick Gornik (Dunlap) Jerry Stringer (Flora)
Girls Class AA Region #1: Girls Class AA Region #2: Girls Class AA Region #3: Girls Class AA Region #4:
Joyce Anderson (Evanston) Susan Markvart (Chicago St. Ignatius) Scott Radecki (Hinsdale Central) David Lipe (Edwardsville)
SURE YOU INCLUDE A COMPLETE SEASON RECORD FOR THE COMMITTEE. That form is also attached and can be sent to Larry Faulkner (GBS).
We enjoyed honoring each of these coaches at the Awards Luncheon during the workshop. Congratulations on this honor and the job that you do for the sport of tennis and for your school.
IHSTCA AWARDS AND HONORS Please look to nominate deserving players for the following awards:
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK TWO COMPANIES THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THE IHSTCA.
I.
Check out the apparel store they have set up for IHSTCA members. I know that I ordered a lot of (careful – I mean number of items not the size of the items) apparel from this store. We have set up a store for our high school program.
1. Boys Pitchford Sportsmanship Award This is a note from Matt Gross – Chairman of the IHSTCA Pitchford Sportsmanship Award. Please consider nominating a deserving player. The sportsmanship award is an awesome recognition that the IHSTCA provides for our student-athletes. Unfortunately, not enough of our players are recognized with at least being nominated for the award. Rarely will I get a nomination early in the season, but this spring I received one a week before the season began. I hope that’s a sign of more to follow. Surely, there are a number of great kids out there who compete the right way and represent themselves, their team and their school in awesome ways. Do you have that player or players who is just a great person and an impressive competitor? If so, don’t delay and write that letter of recommendation. Nominations just need a letter of recommendation from two people – usually one letter is from the coach and the other letter is from either a teacher, fellow coach, or other adult. Let’s recognize all of those great kids on the courts this season with at least a nomination and at most this year’s Sportsmanship Award! 2. Boys All-State Awards First team and Second team All-State honors for Class A and Class AA are decided by their finish at state. You may nominate players for consideration for Honorable Mention All-State. PLEASE MAKE
ARES SPORTSWEAR
htp://www.myfanstand.com/Showroom/IHSTCA/440949 THERE ARE NEW ITEMS SINCE THE LAST TIME I SENT THIS OUT. SWEAT PANTS, HOLLOWAY POLO’S AND MORE. Please take a look and see if you want to order.
II.
WILSON SPORTING GOODS They have been amazing with their support for tennis in the state of Illinois. A couple of years ago they donated equipment to the communities ravaged by tornadoes. They provide tennis balls for state and for our workshop. They provide presenters for our workshop like Greg Patton.
COACHING THOUGHTS AND IDEAS Bill Lange – Hall of Fame Coach, IHSTCA Board Member, and so much more – submitted several articles for our coaches. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
4 Steps to Succeeding in Critical Moments There are moments or situations in all sports that are crucial to deciding the outcome. In tennis, it might be a tie-break or a 10-point tie-break in lieu of a 3rd set. In football, it’s the two-minute drill. Every sport has at least one of these moments. And to be the best competitor you can be you need to recognize the importance of these moments because they are both exciting and dangerous when it comes to the result. 1. Do you know the critical moments in your sport? You have to know what these are if you’re going to succeed at them. As mentioned earlier, each sport has some typical situations so talk to your coach if you’re unsure of what they are. Discuss ways of recognizing them when they occur. 2. Love these moments! It’s in the critical moments that we separate ourselves as competitors from the rest of the crowd. You have to relish the opportunity you have in front of you. Even if you typically dread these moments, you must say, “I love the two minute drill” or “I love tie-breakers”. While you may be lying to yourself at first, repeating these affirmations will seep into your mind and help you reframe your attitude. Soon you’ll be much more positive and optimistic when the time comes. 3. Raise your focus level and intensity. Getting to this moment isn’t what should be satisfying us. Succeeding in this moment is our new motivation and since the result is still in doubt, we must bring more energy and intensity to the situation. From a mental perspective, we must “go for it!” Since optimal excitement and arousal levels differ for all competitors, this will take some trial and error on your part, but
don’t give up. Once you find your optimal level of energy and intensity in these moments, your success rate will improve dramatically. 4. Play your game and simply execute. Just because we are raising our awareness, focus, energy and intensity, that doesn’t mean we should all of a sudden change our game plan. Playing your game is what got you to this point so don’t abandon it now in favor of something that you’re not quite as good at executing. There may be times when you take a bit more risk, but it should only be within the framework of what you are good at (aka, Your Identity). Work on these 4 steps in practice and competition. It will take some experimentation on your part, but that’s how we learn and improve. Through patience and hard work, you’ll start winning in these critical moments.
What Parents Can Do To Help 1. Support your son or daughter’s efforts to be an athlete. 2. Help your student/athlete organize their time. 3. Continue to encourage your son or daughter to maintain a healthy diet and good sleep habits. 4. Win or lose, encourage your child. 5. If you play tennis, take the time to it with your child. 6. Join the school’s booster club. 7. Work with other parents to set up a car pool system. 8. Do not try to coach your child during a match. 9. Encourage your child to give their best attitude and effort at all time. 10. Place good sportsmanship and effort above winning and losing. Watching a Match 1. Be positive and supportive. 2. Applaud good shots/points – do not applaud errors and/or bad shots by the opponents. 3. Do not talk to the players during the match – only the coach may talk to the players while they are on the court. 4. After the match, focus on the players effort rather than the win or loss. Remember: Tennis is a game. It does not make you a good or a bad person it you win or lose.
TRY TO TEACH AND LEARN THESE THINGS John Wooden – former UCLA basketball coaching great 1. Expect a battle. It is never going to be easy against a worthy opponent. Your opponent wants to win too and is not going to raise the white flag of surrender just because you showed up. Appreciate the challenge. That’s what makes it interesting. 2. Give credit to your opponent. 3. Talk to yourself in positive language only. Encourage yourself with statements like, “Come on, you can do it, move your feet, concentrate, etc.” Instead of discouraging statements like, “You suck, you’re lazy, slow, you have no backhand, you stink, why are you playing so bad,” 4. Play fearlessly. Use the shots you have worked so hard to develop. Don’t over-hit or under-hit. Just hit. Don’t play it too safe or try to get lucky with low percentage shots. If you lose with your best stuff, then the other player was better than you on that day and that’s okay. In the long run, you will become a better player by using only your best shots. 5. Eliminate temper tantrums. They give your opponent confidence. If you really believe in yourself, adversity does not bother you. You know you will do your best and you can accept the outcome. 6. Learn to smile. Smiling relaxes you and lets you know that you are in control. 7. Understand time. All the great religions and philosophies teach us to live in the present, but we know how hard that is. The game is played one point at a time. No matter what the score, that is all we can do. Don’t regret the past (missed shots). Don’t fear the future (losing). Take care of the next shot. It’s the only one you can hit. 8. Use time in a positive way. Learn from the past and plan for the future. After each match, analyze your performance. What did you do well? Where can you improve? Have a mental and physical game plan for every match. 9. Leave your cares behind. When you step inside the fence, leave your problems at the gate. While you are playing tennis, play tennis.
10. Accept your mistakes. To be alive is to make mistakes. See mistakes as gifts that provide opportunities to improve your performance. 11. Never give up. Keep fighting no matter what the score. Being behind doesn’t guarantee losing, and being ahead doesn’t guarantee winning. When the match is over, regardless of the outcome, know that you have given it your best. That will make you a winner every time you play. 12. Have fun. You are playing a game. It is not life or death. Your real friends and family will continue to love you whether you win or lose. “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
John Wooden
WHAT TO TELL YOUR ATHLETES 1. Learn from your mistakes. We all make mistakes on the court, some more glaring than others, but learning from them and then reversing any given situation where a mistake was made before is such a great feeling of success. 2. Practice. You can’t get better on the court unless you prepare to perform on the court. Believe in the process, not the score at the end of the match. That score will work out if you prepare your body and mind properly.
WINNERS AND LOSERS by Rick Macci From the Macci System of Teaching A WINNER IS A SUPER POSITIVE PERSON. A loser thinks he is super but he is really negative. A WINNER HAS DESIRE AND HUSTLE. A loser has no desire to hustle. A WINNER BELIEVES THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. A loser believes he is limited and mentally is floating in the clouds. A WINNER IS SPECIAL, UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT IN HOW HE ACTS. A loser can’t get his act together to become special, unique and different. A WINNER BELIEVES AND TRIES SO HARD TO ACHIEVE. A loser feels he has achieved. A WINNER SAYS, “THERE OUGHT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DO IT.” A loser says: ‘That’s the way it’s always been done here.” A WINNER EXPLAINS. A loser has no explanation. A WINNER RESPECTS THOSE WHO ARE MAJOR LEAGUE AND TRIES TO LEARN. A loser resents those who are major league and tries to find chinks in their shining armor. A WINNER MAKES COMMITMENTS. A loser makes promises. A WINNER SAYS, “I’M GOOD, BUT NOT AS GOOD AS I WANT TO BE.” A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of players.”
A WINNER LISTENS. A loser just waits until it is his turn to talk. A WINNER FINDS A WAY. A loser makes an excuse. A WINNER WILL MAKE MISTAKES AND ADMIT IT. A loser makes mistakes and says, “It wasn’t my fault.” A WINNER CREDITS GOOD LUCK SOMETIMES FOR WINNING EVEN THOUGH IT ISN’T LUCK. A loser says, “I had bad luck,” even though it isn’t bad luck. A WINNER IS A FIGHTER, SCRAPPER, AND A GIVE-ITALL PLAYER. A loser already gave it all the other day. A WINNER UNDERSTANDS THE MIND IS EITHER FOR YOU OR AGAINST YOU. A loser’s mind is already against him. A WINNER KNOWS FAILURE WILL TEST HIM, BUT WILL NOT STOP HIM. A loser’s desire has already stopped and he fails to test the next challenge. A WINNER HANGS THIS IN HIS ROOM FOR THE LONG RUN. A loser hangs himself for the long run.
