Introducing Madison Webster

About five years ago I got a letter and a DVD from a high school player in Long Beach, CA.  She had no ranking, not a single USTA tournament result, so her tennis was hard to assess.  Her letter to me, however, was very impressive; quite thoughtful, full of excitement, and very well written.  Still, no matter how great a person someone is, they still need to be able to play to earn a spot on the team.  Then I watched her video...okay I thought, she's got great technique, seems focused, but a video rarely tells the story of who a player is in a match or what they'll be like day in and day out at practice.  Then I get to her references, and there is a quote, "I can promise you that you will feel blessed to have her on your team".  Not bad as recommendations go, but coaches often get sentimental about their players (see pretty much every blog post I've written).  But this coach just happened to be college coaching legend and current USC coach Peter Smith.

Maddy's recruiting DVD - nice graphics, no wonder she rocked as an Art Major

One of the best things I've done in 8 years at Whitman is recruiting the heck out of Maddy Webster.  She turned out to be a terrific player and an outstanding leader on our team.  So, this summer, I started recruiting her again and I am so thrilled to announce Maddy as our assistant coach for 2015-2016.

Maddy brings to the team an incredible understanding of how our team works.  Her personality will be tremendous in recruiting and in developing the technique and tactics of our players she will add so much.  Her coaching experience started with every summer going home and working with Peter coaching at his academy.  She volunteered here in Walla Walla to teach tennis in schools and in after school programs.  This summer she taught private lessons and directed youth programs at Whitman through the City of Walla Walla Parks and Rec.  She also worked this summer as the first ever intern for our joint fund raiser with the Whitman Men's team, the Walla Walla Tennis and Wine Camp.  In that capacity, Maddy's organizational ability, teamwork and problem solving were so strong that she often finished her administrative work and jumped on court to coach.  Even with the best players, (4.5-5.0 adults), Maddy demonstrated great confidence, knowledge of the game and feel for helping players improve.

Maddy doing some coaching for the team last fall

Maddy is a huge asset for our team and I am so happy she's here with us this year.  You can reach her at webstemp@whitman.edu.

So thank you Peter Smith for your recommendation, I couldn't agree more that we are blessed to have her on our team.  I hope you don't mind if I copy it in the future when I'm writing references for Maddy.

The 2015-2016 Whitman Women's Coaching Staff