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04/05/2018 12:00 AMCasey O’Brien has been playing racquet sports for upwards of 15 years, in addition to competing in a multitude of other sports. This spring, Casey is bringing her experience to the Valley Regional courts as she begins her first season as head coach of the Warriors’ boys’ tennis squad. This will mark Casey’s first stint as a head coach, although she has plenty of experience in the competitive arena.
“I’ve never been a coach, but I am involved in many sports,” Casey says. “I do CrossFit, and I play squash. I play platform tennis, and I run. I do other things, too, but those are my favorites.”
Casey knows that she’s coaching a talented group of tennis players at Valley Regional. Casey sees her job as coach as more about emphasizing the mental side of the game, and she believes her experience of playing numerous sports will be a big advantage there. Casey wants to keep up the positive reinforcement by making sure her players stay on point and don’t get down on themselves if they commit an unforced error.
“I can’t change their game during a match, but I want to help them stay focused,” says Casey, who was born and raised in Texas and recently moved to Lyme after living in Essex. “I want to help them mentally. I want to encourage them. All I ask is that they do their best when they step on the court.”
Winning matches is important, but Casey also wants this year to be fun, especially for her juniors and seniors. There is a lot of pressure on juniors with tests like the SATs, and the seniors are counting down the days until graduation. It’s important to Casey that they enjoy tennis, instead of viewing the sport as just more work.
“My main goal is to make sure they enjoy themselves,” she says. “Junior year is full of a lot of pressure. I know that and, for the seniors, this is their last couple of months of high school. I just want them to have fun.”
For many years, Casey has been good friends with new Valley girls’ tennis Head Coach Sally Riggio—whose son Jeff is a senior captain on the boys’ squad—and they are taking advantage of that friendship by integrating the boys’ and girls’ practices this spring. There are no assistant coaches for either team, and so combining the two allows an extra set of eyes to watch each player. It’s also a good way for the players to experience a little more variety in their opponents. Casey thinks the most important thing is that the Warriors find it beneficial.
“They are really enjoying playing together,” Casey says. “They just enjoy it, and I think that’s important, because there’s so much pressure at school.”
Athletic Director Jeff Swan was glad to bring Casey aboard at Valley following the recommendation of Coach Riggio. Casey’s background in athletics made the hiring process that much easier for Swan, and he felt really good about the decision after attending one of the Warriors’ recent practices.
“She comes with a lot of experience in the field. She’s highly recommended by Sally Riggio. She’s a great addition to the coaching staff,” Swan says. “She’s very passionate about coaching and just a hard worker. At practice, everyone was on task doing their thing. It was great to see. It was awesome. She’s a great addition. I say this every time: We’re just lucky to have good coaches.”
Casey feels lucky that she gets to spend time with a great group of kids at Valley Regional—and that goes for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. It’s already proving a rewarding experience for Casey, and she’s eager to see what’s in store during her first year as the Warriors’ head coach.
“It’s a real privilege to spend the end of the day with these girls and boys,” says Casey. “I really enjoy it. I think it’s going to be a really fun season.”