Not once in her high school career did Julie Frank think about playing tennis. So when she took the head coaching job at Whitman, it came as a surprise even to her.

“I was always interested in coaching because I love sports and love competition, but I really never had my eye on tennis,” Frank said.

Frank grew up in a household where all her siblings played sports and paid close attention to their hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Like the rest of her brothers and sisters, Frank considered lacrosse her main sport.

In high school, she won the team sportsmanship award and her team elected her most valuable defender. She then went on to play club lacrosse at Penn State.

Playing club was the perfect fit for Frank; she was able to play lacrosse without the commitment of a varsity sport.

When she began working at Whitman as a physics teacher, her only previous coaching experience was with a youth lacrosse team. Five years ago, the coaching position became vacant and the athletic director at the time, Dave McGaffin, offered her the position. Even though she had no previous tennis coaching experience, with help from her players and the other coaches, she made the transition from casual player to coach. Her first season was a success, as the team won its division.

“The unique thing about tennis at Whitman is that all the girls coming into the program are already very well-trained,” Frank said. “Also, I never felt overwhelmed because I had a lot of support, between the other coaches and the athletic directors.”

Because she doesn’t have to teach the skills of tennis, she focuses on more basic lessons like sportsmanship, rather than strategy and technique when working with the girls.

“I always ask them to give their best, try their hardest, and to treat the game, their teammates and their opponents with respect,” Frank said.

Frank stresses these same values when she coaches JV girls lacrosse in the spring. But, the two sports entail completely different coaching styles, which she says can be a challenge. “I do much more teaching in lacrosse than tennis, because the tennis players are already very skilled players, whereas many of the JV lacrosse players are still learning the fundamental skills,” Frank said. “It is easier for me to teach lacrosse skills because I have experience playing.”

Even though she coaches two sports with different coaching methods, she still manages to find success in both. The girls tennis team has won the sportsmanship award every year since 2005 and it competes for the county championships every season. JV girls lacrosse was been successful with a 10-1 record last year.

Frank’s players appreciate her approach to coaching and the lessons she teaches them.

“She has a great upbeat personality and keeps a positive attitude in practice,” junior Grace Chandler said. “She makes sure that sportsmanship is our top priority and that we play with integrity.”