Tennis
"If you can react the same way to winning and losing,
that's a big accomplishment...
quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life,
and there's going to be a life after tennis
that's
a lot longer than your tennis life." Chris Evert Lloyd
The tennis teams are consistently among the most competitive and successful teams at Laurel each year. During pre-season, girls are broken into Varsity A, Varsity B, and Junior Varsity teams depending on their experience and skill level.
Varsity B and Junior Varsity work hard throughout the season, anticipating a chance to play on the Varsity A team in the coming years. They compete against not only other Junior Varsity teams in the area, but many Varsity teams as well.
In addition to regular season matches, the Varsity A team also competes in the Private School League Championships, the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Tournament, and the Sectional tournament. In recent years, at least one Laurel representative usually qualifies for the District and then the State tournament in Columbus.
Tennis at the Laurel Upper School is great for girls; from the most beginner to the most advanced who are looking to improve their skills, forge great friendships, and enjoy a lot of winning!
About the coach...
Walt Oden is a certified (P-1) professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). He is currently a professional at the Chagrin Valley Athletic Club and the Varsity Coach for Laurel School. During the last 13 years in the profession, Walt has worked at many of Northeast Ohio’s premiere tennis and sports clubs.
During Walt’s rookie coaching season, Laurel School succeeded in winning the Independent Schools League title. In addition to their 11 dual match victories, the Gator’s finished in the Final 4 of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Team Tournament. Laurel also boasted a Sectional Champion and Runner-up on the way to qualifying a doubles team for the State Tournament at Ohio State University.
Walt spent 7 years as Varsity Coach of Hudson High School Boy’s Tennis. During that time, he amassed 75 wins with 7 conference titles. Twice Hudson High has finished in the ELITE 8 in the OTCA State Team Tournament. Walt has also been a volunteer coach at Cleveland State University. Walt was the Administrator and Head Coach of the USTA’s Competition Training Center (CTC) for 5 years. The CTC is the local arm of the USTA’s High Performance Coaching program. Walt continues to coach a number of Northeastern Ohio’s top ranked juniors.
Walt has also been a constant volunteer for Northeastern Ohio tennis. He was President of the USPTA (Northern Ohio) for 6 years. In addition, he has been the Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee for the Northeastern Ohio Tennis Association (NEOTA). For his years of service, Walt received the 1997 USPTA Midwest Rookie of the Year Award as well as the 2003 and 2000 USPTA Ohio Professional of the Year. The NEOTA has also awarded him the Herb Nold Volunteer of the Year Award. Also in 2003, Walt won the National USPTA Seminar Contest for his presentation on Right Brain and Left Brain dominance. He was invited back to the 2004 National USPTA World Conference as a scheduled speaker. Walt’s presentation on brain dominance is currently being offered by the USPTA on CD.
Walt is most proud of his conversion of hundreds of USA Tennis 123 players into successful USTA league participants and junior tournament players. Much of his grassroots efforts include working with Park and Recreation tennis programs. He currently directs the park and recreation tennis efforts for the City of Aurora and the Kenston School District.
Email: odentennis@aol.com
