Coach David Cole is enthusiastic about upping the game of the BHS girls tennis team after taking the reins of the girls varsity team this fall. 

The girls are off to an electrifying start, with an exciting record of 9-2.  

Coach Cole has always been an active and competitive tennis player, and he joined the coaching field in 2001. 

“When my daughter started to play competitively and I was at her lessons, I began to understand the coaching side of tennis,” he said. “A Beachwood girls varsity coach from way back named Sarah Crane asked me to come with her to Beachwood and be her JV coach.”  

He went on to become head coach for the boys tennis team, which he has led since 2012. This year he has taken on the girls team as well. 

Coach Cole also describes how his coaching style differs from previous head coach Carmela Cira

“What I’m hearing from the parents is that I’m more actively coaching during the matches, and that practices are more high energy with more instruction,” he said.

Junior Co-Captain Shreya Chellu describes the process of adjustment.

“I was a little worried because the girls tennis team has always had so many different coaches, and you don’t know what they’re going to expect from you every year, so it’s really different every single time,” she said. “It’s hard to just make that adjustment, and I definitely think the vibe is different, there’s a lot more positivity and motivation with the new team… everybody really wants to win.” 

While Cole has served on the coaching staff of the girls team in the past, he holds a lot of hope for this new and exciting journey. 

“I love coaching this girls’ team,” he said. “The girls listen and they want to get better.” 

“They’re not lazy about practice, they’ll listen to the instruction in the match and the strategy that I give them,” he added.

Coach Cole explained the difference between coaching girls and boys tennis.

“The girls are a little bit less competitive… a little bit… but they listen better,” he said. 

Cole appreciates that his coaching style differs from previous Coach Cira’s, and it is an adjustment for the girls.

“My goal for this year is for the girls to get used to the program as I like to run it, and my style,” he said. “Then hopefully we’ll segway into a really good offseason, and then segway into more success over the next few years.” 

Sophomore Co-Captain Lyndia Zheng emphasizes the variation between the current and previous coaches’ styles.  

“They are both very good coaches,” she said. “I think Coach Cole wanted to focus more on our doubles lineup this year, and we can see the results in our matches.” 

“Our doubles lineup is really strong, and that has helped us win a lot of matches this year,” she added. 

Zheng has observed that building up simple skills can ultimately lead the Bison to a victory. 

“It’s not just about working up to the match, but working up our skills that are important to tennis,” she said. “During the beginning of our season, we spent a lot of time working on our volleys, and I think it improved our ability overall.” 

“We’re a really well rounded team with a lot of our own abilities, and I think he was just able to figure out where each person would fit best when we’re playing other schools,” she added.

Chellu highlights the important responsibilities that come with being a captain.

“Coach Cole always tells us this is not a permanent position, it’s always going to be temporary, based on your performance and your character and the leadership you show,” she said. “So as a captain, we just decide the uniform we wear, provide encouragement to all of our teammates and just let everyone know the schedule and the lineup. Sometimes we lead stretches.” 

Although the previous coach and current Coach Cole’s coaching styles differ, Chellu makes it clear that the difference is not necessarily a bad one. 

“I don’t want anybody to really say that one coach is better than the other, I really think they’re both really good coaches and they both specialize in different things,” she added. “Both of them have certainly done a lot for me.” 

Zheng also comments on Coach Cole’s desire to help each player grow independently.  

“He really wants to focus on improving each of our abilities so that we can grow as a team,” she added. 

Coach Cole is optimistic for the future of this tennis team.

“We have a lot of good, young girls in the program so we’re just going to get better and better,” he added.