Mason Eastman

Genie Hong stands with her MSHSAA Girls Tennis Coach of the Year award. Hong coached the girls tennis team for only one year before receiving the award Sept. 11. “I love the camaraderie that [the team] builds throughout the season,” Hong said.

The girls tennis team has had their fair share of victories. With 10 state championships under their belt and numerous awards, the team is no stranger to success. However, this year, it wasn’t just the players basking in the glow of triumph, but rather the coach, Genie Hong. 

Thursday Sept. 11, tennis coach Genie Hong was awarded the MSHSAA Girls Tennis Coach of the Year. This award not only reflects the success of the team on the court but the community Hong was able to curate amongst her players. She has to prioritize each individual player while also considering the needs of the team as a whole. 

“You have to think about [coaching a team] collectively, as a whole group, which is what I am always thinking about,” Hong said. “It’s not just talent or how well you play, but it is how well teammates gel together, and that sometimes doesn’t always happen with the best of the best playing together.”

In all sports, athletes’ responses to coaching vary from person to person. Due to this, Hong takes time to understand each of her players’ individual athletic mentality. This allows her to not only support players but curate a strong team culture. 

“During an individual match I need to reach their body language and go to that person. Some people need to be told what they’re doing right so they can fix it,” Hong said. “Some people need to know what they’re doing right so they are not too focused on the negative.”

When competing at such high level matches like state or districts, it can be easy to get swept up in the idea of winning and tangible definitions of success. To combat this mindset, Hong makes sure to focus on all the wins the sport offeres.  

 “For me winning is not the end goal, just being there was a really great experience for the girls and for me,” Hong said “I think what [the team] saw was that I wasn’t hard on them. I was always very positive and tried to get them to laugh at changeovers and in between matches.”