Holding Court: Redmond's Whitney Gives Back to the Game She Loves

When the United States Tennis Association announced its finalists for the 2011 Starfish Award last week, one name rang familiar with tennis enthusiasts in the Northwest.

Marceil Whitney, the boys' and girls' varsity tennis coach at for the past 15 years, was named as one of the USTA's nine finalists for the award, which recognizes exceptional high school coaches who implement a "no-cut" policy in their programs. For Whitney, the award is just one in a long tennis career that has spawned a book, instructional videos, a new tennis teaching program, and an International Tennis Hall of Fame induction.

The awards and distinctions speak volumes about Whitney's contributions to the sport. But for the coach herself, they are simply part of a journey that has been one, 41-year-long run of fun.

Inspired early

Whitney, who resides in Woodinville, remembers clearly when the desire to play tennis came to her. As a young girl growing up in a small town in Oregon, Whitney, like many young women of her generation, found inspiration in the playing of Billie Jean King.

“When I saw her play, I was just enamored by how she played and her attitude, and I said, 'That’s what I want to do,’” Whitney said.

Before seeing King play, Whitney said she was not even aware that women could play tennis. The courts in her hometown were closed to children and completely male-dominated.

“That was the first time I ever saw a woman play tennis," Whitney said. "I was in seventh grade. I grew up in a very small town that had two tennis courts, and it was known that no kids would play on them; they were for adults only. And every time I went by it, it was guys that were out there on the courts. I never really put it together that women played tennis.”

With that sudden realization, Whitney set off on life-long relationship with the sport of tennis. She took to the game and, after deciding she wanted to be a physical-education teacher, found that the game that was so dear to her could also be her career.

“Tennis was really my sport that I really loved and enjoyed the most, and so I sort of just went into that area," she said. "And the rest is history.”

That history has covered more than four decades and includes a number of accomplishments that seem to almost embarrass the humble Whitney.

Teenie tennis

One of the biggest contributions that Whitney has made to the tennis world is her creation of a new form of teaching tennis to young children: teenie tennis.

The idea behind the coaching style is to get young children engaged in tennis in a way that is conducive to their ages and promotes teamwork and fun. Instead of teaching young children the same way she would teenagers or adults, Whitney created a style that incorporates constant movement and adds different elements, such as the addition of beach balls and soap bubbles into the instruction.

Whitney has written a book, "Teenie Tennis: A Love Game," and put out instructional videos in order to spread the message of her coaching style. Those contributions led to Whitney winning the Educational Merit Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.

"There's been probably a couple of generations of kids that have learned through those programs and those techniques," said Bill Ginthner, who has coached with Whitney at Redmond for five years. "You probably have the case where you have kids that she taught who are sending kids of their own through her classes."

No cut, no problem

The effect that tennis had on Whitney as a youth has helped inspire her "no cut" policy when it comes to coaching at Redmond High School. While some high school programs have limits on how many players can make the varsity and junior varsity teams, Whitney has employed a coaching philosophy that turns away no one from her team.

“I think everyone should have the opportunity to play if they want to play," Whitney said. "It’s a lifetime sport, so everyone should have the opportunity to do that.”

Redmond's program featured 56 student-athletes in last year's group. While high schools with cut policies typically have 12 to 16 players on a junior varsity roster, Whitney sees no problem having as many as 30. Her commitment to the "no-cut" policy is what made her eligible for the USTA Starfish award. Out of 3,600 possible coaches eligible for the award, Whitney is one of nine with a chance to win the 2011 version of it.

“It’s just quite an honor to be thought of," Whitney said. "Anytime, I think, you’re recognized in the field that you love and enjoy…to be recognized for something like that is pretty awesome.”

Tennis outreach

To most people, tennis is simply a game. To Whitney, it's an opportunity to teach.

Whitney founded the Tennis Outreach Program in 2003. The non-profit aims at teaching life skills to at-risk and disadvantaged youth through the sport of tennis.

The results have been positive, according to Whitney. The program operates before school, and the early start has resulted in better attendance, better grades and better attitudes of its participants. Whitney said the biggest aspect of the participants' growth is in how they deal with their peers and potentially volatile situations.

“It builds self-confidence; it helps them interact with their peers," Whitney said. "It helps them to work at problem-solving because there are issues that come up, and when they do, we stop and we talk about it and try to figure out what’s the best way to approach it versus calling each other names or hitting someone. It gives them an opportunity to problem solve and look at the bigger picture and not react right away.”

For the love of coaching

Despite all the awards and accolades that Whitney has received over the last 41 years, her main reason for doing what she does remains the same: loving her job.

Whitney's joy in her line of work comes from the belief that she is passing something along to people that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. From the 3-year-olds that she coaches up to the adults, her true reason for coaching is the hope that someone can learn to love the sport the way she does.

“I enjoy every age because they all bring something different, a different challenge," Whitney said. "I just get a lot of satisfaction to help someone love the game the way that I do and be able take it with them the rest of their life.”

That line of thinking shows up in the way she coaches her players at Redmond High School, according to Ginthner, who has coached the junior varsity under Whitney since 2007.

"Her coaching style is more motivational than hands-on," Ginthner said. "She has a philosophy that by the time they get to high school, they are pretty much set on their tennis skills, so she's not going to try to change that. So she's more motivational, trying to get them pumped up and give them the confidence that they can go out and do well in the matches."

Whitney's teams have done quite well with that philosophy, culminating in a recent three-year KingCo 4A champion run for the boys' team and the first-ever conference title for the girls in 2007. Some coaches might look back at the list of accomplishments that Whitney and her teams have had and see it as a reward for working hard at their jobs. For Whitney, everything she has accomplished is just part of a 41-year run where she has done what she loves every single day.

“It’s not really work, in my opinion, because I enjoy it so much," Whitney said. "I’m just blessed that I can do something I really enjoy.”