LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Pete Wert is an LHU alumnus who graduated in 1989 with a degree in Secondary Education. As a Lock Haven native, his tennis journey began right here on the local tennis courts. “I had friends that played tennis in elementary school, we would ride our bikes here and smack tennis balls around”, said Wert. As the new Head Coach of the Women’s Tennis program, Wert returns to the same courts his tennis journey began on.
Photo: Eagle Eye/Cleia Stern
Q: What inspired you to become a tennis coach?
A: I’ve coached many sports, and this is one of the sports I really like. I have spent a lot of time on tennis courts. I felt qualified to give it a shot coaching at the high school level. It was a lot of fun, I really love what I do in this sport. I like coaching, and this sport happens to be the one that fits into my personality the best.
Q: What are your strengths as a coach?
A: I am pretty flexible figuring out what each athlete needs. I don’t coach every person the same way. I can be flexible and adapt to what each player needs. I can make them better in different areas. I think that’s my strength as a coach.
Q: What are your goals for the LHU women’s tennis team during the spring 2023 season?
A: We want to win some matches. We want to be competitive, that’s the word I like to use. I don’t always worry about wins and losses, but to lose all the time is not something we strive for. We want to win some matches and hopefully be competitive in most of the matches we play in the conference.
Q: How did your experience coaching Central Mountain make you a better coach?
A: You run into a bunch of different types of personalities that you have to learn how to motivate and get them to play well. Tennis is a very mental sport and keeping your head in the game is very important. You can’t overplay in tennis, you can’t underplay; you have to be aggressive but yet intelligent. It has given me a chance to see different athletes have successes and failures. I hope to be able to apply that to the people that I see here and get to work with.
Q: What is one important lesson you’ve learned from your time as a coach?
A: Communicate. Talk to people. Tell them what you’re thinking. Don’t let someone wonder what you’re thinking about them or what position they’re in. Communication is the most important thing that I’ve found as a coach.
Q: Describe the qualities you believe an effective coach must have.
A: Number one is to communicate with the players. Be able to know what type of player you have, know what type of personality you’re dealing with. So that you can get the best out of them. Some people need pressured, some people need you to not be so difficult on them. Players respond to different stimulus. The idea is to figure out what makes that person tick.
With over 20 years of tennis coaching experience, Wert is eager to begin a new chapter in his coaching journey with LHU. He hopes to raise money to end up offering scholarships to his student-athletes in an attempt to help grow the program and community.
Cleia Stern
Cleia Stern is a first-year pursuing an undergraduate in Exploratory Studies. She is a staff writer for the Eagle Eye. Cleia holds the 2022 GOODE Waterski National Overall Champion title, as well as multiple regional and state titles. Cleia’s passions include water-skiing, tennis, and weightlifting. Aside from her athletic achievements, Cleia hopes to pursue writing into the professional setting with dreams of publishing a collection of poems.
