Experience
Since 2020, I've been girls varsity head coach at Catlin Gabel School in Portland. Altogether, I've coached scholastic and collegiate tennis for 11 seasons across several states. I started my career directing tennis programs at summer camps throughout New England. At Catlin Gabel, we've had players across the gamut from D1 recruits to JV players who become varsity starters and state qualifiers. I've also coached developing programs, the fun of taking an indivdual sport like tennis and turning it into a team sport is getting kids to buy into investing in themselves but also into wanting their teammates to be great, too.
I played four years of varsity tennis at Plainfield (NJ) High School under Donald Van Blake, then continued played collegiately after serving in the U.S. Air Force post-high school.
Coaching Philosophy
I use a constraint-led approach that develops players as problem-solvers on the court. Early in my coaching career, I noticed players consistently looking back for validation. While coaching has its place, I wanted to build their confidence to problem-solve in real-time, understanding that not every situation will be ideal, but what's important is learning lessons of resilience and trusting yourself. Few things are more satisfying than a kid explaining what they did in a loss, and months later recalling how they learned from it in a crucial match.
My coaching centers on:
- Trust & Autonomy: Players learn to trust their instincts and make independent decisions
- Game-Based Learning: Practices built around tactical problems, not just technical repetition
- Resilience Development: Preparing athletes for the mental challenges of competition
- Analytics-Informed Insight: Using data to identify patterns and opportunities for growth