MANAHAWKIN – Southern Regional girls’ tennis coach Howie Madsen won his 200th career match earlier this season.
Madsen started teaching in 1972 and didn’t start coaching tennis until 1993. He coached the boys team at Southern Regional for a couple of years and then started coaching the girls team. He did both for about 12 years and then stopped coaching the boys in about 2005 and continued coaching the girls, which he has been doing for 23 years.
The reason why Madsen chose to continue to coach the girls?
“The only reason is because the season is much nicer in the fall around Southern Regional than the spring,” Madsen said. “We are right by the ocean and the weather in the spring season can be miserable. It stays cold and playing tennis in the spring can be really nasty. Because of the ocean, the fall is beautiful. We’ve gotten more rain this year than usual, but typically the weather stays mild through the end of October. That’s why I’ve stuck with coaching the girls.”
Madsen started his high school coaching career at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia and coached soccer, wrestling and track there. He went back to school to get his master’s degree and ended up coaching at Springfield College prior to getting the job at Southern, where he also served as a physical education and health teacher for 35 years, and he’s been there ever since.
“I love the shore, the ocean and the water sports. But the school system is an excellent school system,” Madsen said when asked why he has remained at Southern all these years. “We have great administration and great fellow teachers to work with. It really is a great school system and I’ve been blessed to be able to be a part of it.”
One thing that makes the Southern Regional tennis program unique is they have a no-cut policy, meaning anyone who is interested in playing will make the team in some capacity.
“I think one of the unique things about our tennis program is since I’ve been coaching, we’ve never make any cuts. We have a no-cut policy and any kid that is interested in participating, they are welcome to stay on the team,” Madsen said. “We are also fortunate enough to have 10 courts and we can handle a larger number of players. For the kids that don’t make varsity or JV, we set up an intramural tournament and they play against each other in a double-elimination singles tournament and then we do a double-elimination doubles tournament after that. The kids that come out are all getting a chance to compete in a tournament and with us, I’d say about 90-95 percent of our kids start are picking up a racket for the first time. Because of that, we’re at a disadvantage to some other schools, especially in Monmouth County, where they have a lot of tennis clubs and indoor places to play.”
Madsen played some tennis growing up, but was primarily a wrester. He was ranked fourth in the state in his weight class, a two-time district champion and a regional champion. What drew him to tennis, though, is just his love of the game.
“I just really enjoy it,” Madsen said. “It’s a lifetime sport. My wife and I go to the US Open for one day every year and watch the rest on TV. It’s just a great sport and I enjoy playing it and watching it, so for me it’s fun.”
Madsen enjoys coaching so much because he thinks getting involved in school is important, and playing a sport is just one way to do that.
“It’s been a pleasure working with the students and watching them develop, not only in tennis but developing character,” Madsen said. “That’s one of our main goals is to help kids reach their potential. I think getting involved at their school is a great thing for students, whether it’s sports, the band, or the drama club. Whatever it is, getting involved with something at the school really adds to their whole experience and helps them develop as a person. I think sports are excellent in helping them do that.”
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