HighFIVE: Saryn Mooney
The following HighFIVE profile appears in the 2018 Spring issue of Colorado Tennis newspaper.
It isn’t just the physical side of tennis that drew USTA’s Colorado’s new League Coordinator, Saryn, to a career in the sport. It’s also the mental and social aspects of the game that moved her from an intern position last summer to a full time position now, dedicated to growing the sport of tennis in Colorado.
An all-sport athlete, Saryn was introduced to tennis by her father, catching the true competitive bug through Junior Team Tennis. She played four years at Arapahoe High School, and then played four years at Whitworth University in Washington state, staying a 5th year to be the assistant coach, an opportunity she treasures.
“I picked the school for the strong academics but was so thrilled to be part of their tennis program both in playing and then getting to coach,” she said of the opportunity which yielded her great on court experiences, but also the opportunity to experience great coaches and teammates/best friends.
Having studied Psychology and Health Science in college, Saryn describes herself, “as a bit of a nerd. I’m always kind of researching and investigating,” she jokes about the reality that all of us are really lifetime students. This type of approach to life is a great fit for her role at USTA as she is passionate about growing tennis in Colorado and has spent her life around athletes, understanding their needs to compete and improve- requiring access of the sport with a limited supply of courts and sometimes programming.
And while the challenge to grow the sport for everyone in Colorado’s exploding population is one of the puzzle pieces, Saryn said there’s was little to question about the team she was joining at USTA Colorado. “They are amazing people, with really good heads on their shoulders. They love the sport of tennis but they understand it isn’t life and death. At the core of their values, they want to keep people loving the game.”
One of the psychology aspects of the game Saryn has keyed into revolves around new players starting out and keeping the value of the game where it should be — enjoying it. “I want people to understand you don’t have to be good to start playing. They don’t need to be intimidated or worried about winning.”
While she is excited to work with all levels of programming, Saryn is particularly looking forward to working with JTT, knowing it is a big challenge but one that will give her the opportunity to work with kids. Having experienced that side of it herself, she knows how tennis and the social opportunities that come within team play can influence young lives.
“It’s about kids having fun and improving themselves while making great friends,” she said. “I’m lucky to be part of that.”
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