The Hoffman Estates High School tennis team has been around for a long time, welcoming many players. From freshmen to seniors, amateurs to long-time players, boys and girls alike. And for the past 23 years, the tennis team has been under the watchful and meticulous care of Ken Harris, Head Coach of both the girls and boys tennis teams.
Like many others, Harris’s passion for tennis started in high school. As a student at Larkin High School in Elgin, he participated in many sports, including volleyball, football, baseball, track, but tennis was a different story.
“I enjoyed playing tennis. I played it not on a team, but during PE class,” Harris said.
Despite not playing on a team, his love for tennis still carried on past high school, even teaching tennis at Elgin Community College, where he also taught a health class. As of now, his fire for tennis still burns as bright as ever. Harris loves tennis, and the competition that comes with it.
“Especially during the summer, when it’s 90 degrees with no humidity, I love going out to the tennis courts near my house and hitting around,” Harris said. He’s even gone so far as to incorporate it into his regular workouts.
Like all sports, tennis comes with two sides: a casual side and a competitive side. Harris loves the competition that tennis has to offer, and he strives to instill this competitive streak in his players too. When Harris is coaching tennis, teaching his team to love the game is important. To truly be successful, you need more than just passion.
“Fundamentals.” The one concept that Harris heavily stressed is fundamentals. According to Harris, having a strong foundation is the only way to improve yourself. As Harris put it, to have a strong foundation, you need to “put those reps in.”
“Some kids,” Harris explains, “don’t understand that it’s all about the little things. Something as small as correct footwork could make all the difference.”
All of the hard work and discipline can sound daunting to someone who’s never touched a racket. To those who are interested in joining but have never played before, Coach Harris has this to say to you:
“Just come out and try. You might be a natural, you might not. Most players who join us have never played before too. But they learn, and you can too. It takes just one year to see the progress you can make, and in many cases that progress is astounding.”
Although this is Coach Harris’s last season coaching tennis, he still has more that he wants for the team. When asked what his goals are for this season, he replied saying that all he wants is for his players to learn to be more competitive and to improve in discipline and skill.
We are sad to see Coach Harris leave, and despite the fact that he might not be an official part of the team once he retires, he still holds the team in his heart. When asked if he would still like to come and watch the games at Hoffman, he replied without any hesitation, “definitely.”
