Missouri Valley / St. Louis

Stahlhuth Revives Tennis at Bayless High School

July 29, 2021


After a sterling 15-year stint as head coach of the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) women’s tennis program, Kelly Stahlhuth decided it was time for a fresh twist to her career. In her mid-50s and unsure if she could sustain the caliber of success she and WUSTL had become accustomed to, Stahlhuth felt it was the right time to pivot.

 

 

 

A tennis lifer who began playing the sport at the age of 6, Stahlhuth competed at an All-American and Hall-of-Fame level for Indiana University and worked as a tennis pro in the St. Louis area for several years. Stahlhuth knew she wanted to remain in athletics. She just needed someplace to give her an opportunity.

 

Skip Advertisement

Advertisement

Bayless High School came knocking. After spending a Covid-affected first year as assistant athletic director, Stahlhuth is primed to become the Bayless High School athletic director this school year. She will simultaneously continue to revive the long-dormant boys’ and girls’ tennis teams that — prior to last year — hadn’t existed since the late 1980s.

 

 

 

“Bayless gave me a chance,” Stahlhuth said. “You know so much about one area. You can go down real deep. I’m 1 inch wide, but I’m 500 miles deep. Now I’ve got to figure out how to transport that to 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 other sports. That was the main transition. I just knew it was time for a new chapter. It’s been a good one so far for sure.”

 

 

Stahlhuth said understanding the nuances of the high school athletics landscape after allocating so much of her life to both tennis and collegiate athletics has proved a challenging task. Stahlhuth has worked to learn the rules and regulations of every sport — “I’m so far behind there,” she said — while picking up nuggets of knowledge along the way like how to work the scoreboard for a junior varsity soccer game.

 

 

“As a tennis player, I’ve loved that my whole life,” Stahlhuth said. “But now it’s high school. It’s a whole ‘nother landscape. … I’ve always considered myself a rookie because you’re always learning something. But I’m definitely a rookie right now. I’m going to be 54 soon. I’m a rookie at 53-years-old.”

 

 

Bayless fielded a tennis program in the 1970s and ‘80s but couldn’t maintain it. “Let’s give it a go,” Stahlhuth requested. After virtual schooling eliminated the possibility of a fall season, the tennis program was officially resuscitated this past spring with about 20 players consistently showing up.

 

 

Boys and girls combined to comprise the team in the spring. Even three seniors who have since graduated decided to try their hand at the sport for a season. This coming year, the girls will compete separately in the fall while the boys will play during springtime. Though the level of play is drastically different from her time at WashU, the people-oriented Stahlhuth finds herself having much the same conversations with her student-athletes. 

 

 

“What’s really fun with this group is they are looking at tennis as a brand new sport,” Stahlhuth said. “Some never had the opportunity. Tennis is a lifelong sport. It’s neat we’re starting these relationships.

 

 

 

“I’m asking them the same questions I did in college. ‘What exams do you have this week?’ It was hard in the fall. We didn’t have any sports. We started the team in the spring, and I was like ‘This is why I’m here.’ I still want to coach. Those relationships are the foundation.”

 

 

 

Stahlhuth worked alongside USTA Missouri Valley at WUSTL by putting in grants to teach a Special Olympics tennis clinic for 14 years. As Bayless is in the midst of constructing a couple tennis courts, Stahlhuth noted she is hopeful to one day utilize USTA programming to integrate tennis into the district’s PE program.

 

 

 

Not one of Stahlhuth’s players had a tennis racquet of their own, so Michael Marotta — USTA Missouri and USTA St. Louis tennis service representative — got to work. Marotta tracked down a box of 34 racquets to lend to the Bayless program. Stahlhuth said her players have been hitting with them throughout the summer in preparation for the coming season.

 

 

 

“It was amazing,” she said. “Some of them got so excited about it. It was great. Bayless is a very diverse community. There are probably 520 students, and there are 20 different countries represented in this small niche of students. No one had a racquet. I bought some cheapies from Amazon. When you’ve got 20 kids, it starts adding up.”

 

 

 

Stahlhuth’s work developing the Bayless tennis program comes on the heels of a successful run at the helm of WUSTL’s women’s team. The Bears reached the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III National Tournament four times in a five-year stretch.

 

 

 

Stahlhuth compiled a 215-115 overall record and led her team to a dozen NCAA Tournament appearances. She was twice named the Central Region Coach of the Year and was selected as the National Coach of the Year in 2015. One of her players, Rebecca Ho, finished second in the nation in 2017. Stahlhuth coached 14 All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans and one Fulbright Scholar.

 

 

 

“These players are smart women,” Stahlhuth said. “They are dentists, lawyers. One is a 4.0 who is going to be working at Procter & Gamble. There’s a player who works at Apple. What’s really cool is we were able to achieve a lot in the classroom and then still do the best we could with our tennis. Everyone was able to accomplish their amazing degree plus keep tennis going.”

 

 

 

On the recruiting trail, Stahlhuth got to establish connections with players before they stepped foot on campus. She would lay out her belief system as well as the strengths and weaknesses of WashU and the tennis program. Many recruits — for a variety of reasons — ended up attending college elsewhere. But when recruits ultimately did pick WashU, Stahlhuth said lifelong bonds had the potential to be formed as new players were adopted into the “Bear Family.”

 

 

 

“You’re there to celebrate the amazing things,” Stahlhuth said. “‘I got a job offer. I’m in medical school.’ Those relationships go deep because of the interaction you have daily. It’s nice when you get people who say, ‘I want to be here. I want to be on this team. I want to represent this program.’ That is deep. And it’s important. It’s a privilege to coach them. And it’s a privilege to play.”

 

 

 

Stahlhuth hopes her student-athletes at Bayless get that opportunity with the school year and tennis season just around the corner. Last year, Bayless went virtual until late October before transitioning to a hybrid format and then in-person full-time. Stahlhuth would love if students in her district are able to attend in-person from the jump this go-round.

 

 

 

“They want to be in with their friends and teachers. For most, that’s the best way to learn,” Stahlhuth said. “That is what we hope for Bayless School District kids. That’s what they really want. That’s where they’re going to thrive. That social aspect is so key. Just sitting down, finding a new friend. Last year was really hard to do that over a computer screen.”

 

 

 

Stahlhuth’s first year on the job was bound to be packed with new experiences, and the pandemic only added to her many life adjustments. Whatever obstacles this school year brings, Stahlhuth vows to continue in her growth mindset.

 

 

 

“I just love working with the kids,” she said. “I thought I was an athletic person. Heck, there’s so much to learn. I’m excited for that.”

 

Skip Advertisement

Advertisement

Related Articles

  • Visit the Kunkel to Start as ED page
    Kunkel to Start as ED
    October 29, 2021
    Jill Kunkel used to tag along with her husband, Tim, to local tennis clubs but didn’t actually participate in the sport at that time. Tim had been competing in tennis since he was a junior. But Jill had never really given the game a solid try. Read More
  • The Missouri high school girls’ tennis season came to a close in late October, with the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield once again playing host to all the MSHSAA state tournament action. Read More
  • Michael O’Neill and a group of local players decided at the end of winter to form a powerhouse USTA St. Louis District 4.0 men’s team to make a run at winning Sectionals and earning qualification to the USTA League National Championships. Read More