Opportunity for tennis coach in Westchester
Long-time leader Hintzen is ready to mentor a new assistant tennis coach or hand over the reins
By Randy Robertson, NYC and Hudson Valley Regional Storyteller
Greenburgh, NY – Elyse Hintzen stands by the tennis net and waits for the ball to come flying back at her. Sure enough, a moment later a bright yellow tennis ball whizzes just over her left shoulder. As she has done for decades, Hintzen rotates her body slightly, reaches up and deftly volleys the ball for a clean winner a mere foot over the net.
It was classic Hintzen, except one small detail. Following the shot, Hintzen winced slightly and gently rubbed her left shoulder. Hintzen has been coaching tennis in Westchester County for five decades, including the last 10+ years as a Special Olympics New York tennis instructor. A recent health issue impacted her range of motion, but it could never dampen her enthusiasm for tennis or for teaching.
“Being out here coaching tennis with these athletes is the best hour and a half of my week,” Hintzen said recently. “To have the support of these great kids and their parents is really wonderful.”
Greenburgh Parks & Recreation reserves two outdoor tennis courts for 90 minutes every Tuesday evening throughout the summer and early fall for Hudson Valley Special Olympics athletes’ use. Hintzen utilizes that time to engage socially with the athletes as they warm up, then proceeds through a series of drills to work on various forehand and backhand strokes.
On a recent evening, Coach Hintzen was joined by athletes Jennifer, Jordan and Tom. All enthusiastically participated in the drills and showed various skill levels. Hintzen is proud of the progress the players have made but also notes that the program could use an infusion of athletes and an additional coach or assistant coach.
“It would be great to have another coach here to work with,” Hintzen said. “Either a new head coach or someone to help me out. I’d gladly work with anyone if they know a little about tennis.”
Anyone interested in joining the tennis program can contact the Special Olympics NY Hudson Valley office. Coach Hintzen emphasized that the additional coach or two doesn’t necessarily need to be a high-level tennis player, but they do need to have a solid knowledge of the game and preferably experience playing competitively at some level.
For Hintzen, that level was once very high. Growing up with her six sisters in the 1960s and early 1970s, Hintzen attended Mount Vernon High School just before Title IX opened up more opportunities for girls to play competitive sports. Not to be deterred, Hintzen played for the Mount Vernon boys tennis team and did quite well.
She then played on the women’s tennis team at Lehman College before moving on to work for the Mount Vernon public schools for 33 years. Along the way, Hintzen found time to coach both the Mount Vernon High School tennis teams and the Manhattanville College women’s tennis team for nearly 20 years each.
Coach Hintzen showed an affinity for inclusion from the earliest days of her career. At Mount Vernon High, she never had cuts. Anyone who wanted to join the team was welcome and Hintzen always found a way to locate enough rackets and shoes for everyone. In 2008 she received the United States Tennis Association’s Starfish Award, presented annually to two high school coaches across the country who promote the growth of tennis through a ‘no cut’ tennis program.
That inclusive attitude remains as bright as ever. As parent Yen Wong watched Coach Hintzen lead practice recently, he marveled at her knowledge and passion for tennis.
“I give Elyse a lot of credit,” Wong said. “She’s really great with the athletes. But another coach would really help her a lot.”
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