Longtime Connecticut Coach Sees Success in First Tennis Season

EAST LYME, CT - Jen Brush, a longtime PE and health teacher at East Lyme High School (ELHS), is no stranger to coaching. With experience in field hockey, track, crew, and soccer, she’s spent years guiding student-athletes on and off the field. But when the school’s girls’ varsity tennis coach position opened this year, she decided to step outside her comfort zone and take on a new challenge.

Though her only previous tennis experience was teaching basic skills in PE class, Jen dove into the coaching world with enthusiasm. She attended USTA New England workshops and webinars, did her homework, and leaned on her players and peers for support. The result? A wildly successful first season, finishing second in the league.

We caught up with Jen to learn more about her journey, her approach to coaching and what she learned during her first year on the court.

With little playing and coaching experience, how were you able to find success as a first-time coach?

My only tennis experience was playing in my PE classes. I can hit a ball but the strategy and accuracy – that takes practice. As a novice tennis coach, I had to be willing to put in the time and energy, I watched a lot of videos, asked a lot of questions & relied heavily on my girls to show me the way. I went to a USTA New England workshop, which was great. 

How did the first year go overall?

We had a great season this year and finished 14-3, second in our league and beat our rivals for the first time in years. We had nine players compete in our league tournament and our No. 1 doubles team made it to the finals. We finished fourth in the state.

What was your approach to coaching throughout the season?

The approach I took was very different from coaching in years past. I incorporated a lot more fitness and fun. We did this through circuits, fun games and even went to a local fitness center on a rain day. We would have ‘fun Fridays’ where we would play different tennis games that the girls choose. One practice during spring break, I called it ‘dogs and donuts’ and I brought my dogs and of course donuts to share at the end of practice. We had three pasta parties, which they never had before, and also did spirit boxes. And, winning helped the good vibe! 

Did you face any challenges?

To be honest, I thought it would be easy, but I learned very quickly that there is so much more to tennis that I had no idea about. Singles, doubles, rules, quiet times, etc. That was probably one of the hardest parts for me. I’m a big yeller and I had to tame it down.