What does your typical work day involve?
I work here part time, two days a week. Most of the time I do clinics, or private lessons, mostly for women and the kids after school. The kids are between 11 and 18.
How long have you worked here?
Four years.
What is your full time job?
I’m the men’s and women’s tennis coach at Millersville. I've been there for about 6 years
Do you have any awards?
I was named Collegiate Coach of the Year by the PA State Athletic Conference.
What were some of your previous jobs?
I've always worked in tennis. I think I've done everything involved in tennis that you can do. I’ve
commentated on the game on cable TV, I've played in a pro tournament, I've coached high school, I’ve taught at recreation departments and I've managed a 10 court facility.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A mom. Now I'm married with a son and two step children.
What are your interests and hobbies?
I like watching my family play sports - baseball and soccer, unfortunately none of them play tennis. I like visiting my family, my brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, in Ohio.
What is your favorite place in the world and where would you like to go on vacation?
My favorite place is being at home with my family.
I'd love to travel to discover the US - there are so many places in the US that I haven't been yet. I found a list of the best hiking trails in the US, per state. I'd love to do each state’s best hike. Cross as many off of that list of 50 as I can. I'm trying to get different people to go with me on each one. I have a lot of volunteers for California and Florida!
Do you follow any sports?
I really enjoy college sports. I will watch college football and volleyball championships. I can always take something from a sport I'm watching and try to figure out how I can use that in my coaching. I think there's a lot of parallels. Some of my students may play a different sport, and they're also learning tennis. I try to discover how I can learn about that sport to translate it to tennis to help them. I try to play competitively too, so that I feel that I can be more empathetic to my students. I think it helps you understand that psychological coping skill when you're not playing, which is a big part of coaching and it's not just technique. When I watch sports on TV, I watch the coaches to see how they handle it when their team is not doing well or if their team gets a bad break. I enjoy watching the psychology of sports.
What TV shows do you watch?
I'm really into true crime. I would probably be an FBI agent if I had to do it all over again. I watch all of the true crime shows. I really enjoy all of the true-life documentary crime shows like ‘Forensic Files’ and ‘New Detectives’. All of the science that now goes into the forensics is fascinating to me. I cheer during these shows like you would at a football game. I don't like seeing the people get hurt, I just enjoy seeing all of the science and the criminology to it. I don't know why.
What is the best compliment someone could give to you?
That I’m a good mom or that I helped someone with their tennis game.
If you could meet the teenage version of yourself, what advice would you give to her?
Try to enjoy each stage of your life as its happening because each stage ends. Each stage is temporary and unique and you need to enjoy each day as it comes.
