The NFHS is proud to name Janet Glaser of Andover Central High School in Andover, Kansas as the 2017-18 Girls Tennis Coach of the Year!

Whether through coaching, playing or supporting, Janet Glaser has always been around tennis. She has dealt with the ups and downs, wins and losses, and learned some hard lessons through her time with the game. By making sure that her players have the same appreciation of the game and it's values, she works to bring up well-rounded individuals on and off the court. For this reason, the NFHS is proud to have named her the 2017-18 NATIONAL Girls Tennis Coach of the Year! 

School: Andover Central High School

Seasons Coaching : 40 | State Championships: 15

Coaching Highlights: Class 4A Coach of the Year Kansas (2015), Overall Coach of the Year Kansas (2017), USTA-KS Junior Team Tennis Organizer of the Year (2015-16, 18), USTA Missouri Valley Junior Team Tennis Organizer of the Year (2015), Kansas Coaches' Association 40+ years of service (2017)

Philosophy of Athletics

Sports, and most importantly, tennis, has been an integral part of Coach Glaser's life. Her parents taught Janet and her brother how to compete intensely, fairly, and joyfully. As a family, they spent weekends in the summer traveling from one tournament to another where all four of them would play in all the divisions they could. They supported each other's ups and downs, highs and lows, and while they didn't know it initially, Janet and her brother we were learning that life was much like sports. They learned to work hard, knowing that it wasn't necessarily a guarantee that good outcomes would immediately follow - delayed gratification was the result. They learned that both losing and winning had sometimes difficult lessons that applied to life in general the great feeling of "leaving it all on the court". Everyone is fighting many battles - the ones on the tennis court are actually the fun ones!   

To this day whenever she's on a tennis court, she feels the presence of her mom and dad. They taught me that no matter where she went, if she went to a court, she'd find friends there. Over the years and in many different places, she has made some of her best friends on the tennis court. She feels a great responsibility to give back to the sport that has given so much to her. She feels a sense of joy when she helps players of all ages and backgrounds enhance their life through tennis.

With her teams, it has always been about the life lessons rather than the win/loss record. Character development is key. She stresses knowledge of the rules and fair play. Her players always take the high road, but will not be a doormat. Tennis is a game where no matter how good your skills, you're going to make mistakes. Her players shake them off, control what they can, and relish in the opportunity of a fresh start on the next point. As tennis is a rare sport where the players are also the referee, she teaches them to diffuse conflict with a win/win approach.

Her 2017-18 motto was: "The game begins with love-all" - seems to be a pretty good approach to life as well!

See all of the 2017-18 National Coach of the Year recipients by viewing our press release.