Former JV coach takes over varsity
By: Justin Feil
Carol Sinkler would have been happy enough just being able to work again with the Princeton High girls’ tennis team, to be able to come back to where she was born and raised. But that she’s been welcomed so eagerly by the Little Tigers has made for an even more thrilling return.
Sinkler takes over as new head coach for David Black, who she was an assistant and JV coach for just a couple of years ago before someone within the district got preference over her. Now, there’s no one the team would prefer more.
"That’s what really makes it special for me the fact that the girls wanted me," said Sinkler, who graduated from PHS in 1968 after attending the now defunct Valley Road School. "When I called up the captain I asked if she was surprised (that Sinkler returned), and she said, ‘No.’ I realized I had been set up. They remembered what I had done for them. It means a lot to me, more than anything else. When kids remember you, it means you’ve done something right."
The Princeton junior varsity squad went undefeated in Sinkler’s last year with the team.
"Of the ones I played, all but one or two are still there," Sinkler noted. "I feel good about that. They know me so that makes it nice."
She’s hoping to find similar success to her JV from a Little Tiger varsity team that was 13-6 last season and made the Central Jersey Group III state tournament. PHS returns every player from that lineup and returns Stacey Kalinina from Montgomery High’s No. 1 spot. And with Sinkler, they’re remembering quickly what the emphasis is.
"I always want my girls to be the best they can be," she said. "I’m going to make them a team. They’re going to work together as a unit. That’s what I did with the JV. I try to be fair. I try to be very disciplined and very feisty. I want them to give everything they can, not for me, but for themselves so they can be the best they can be. That’s what it’s all about.
"It’s not about just being good," she added of expectations. "I want them to be the best they can be. That means the talent they’re bringing to the table is not enough. They’re going to have to learn some new things to be a team. You have to pull together under one umbrella and say what you want to do this season. That’s when they become a team. You become a team when you all want the same thing. And if you have issues, you discuss them. You feel for one if someone’s having a bad time, and you push them if you have to. Being a team doesn’t just happen. It’s a lot of hard work."
Sinkler can call on her own athletic career for a look at the teamwork necessary to win. She never played tennis at Princeton High, but was involved in plenty of other activities. She played field hockey, basketball and softball for four years each. She was on the bowling team, in the choir and band as well. And she was a cheerleader.
"Nobody mentioned tennis," she said. "I picked up a racket when I was 22, when I got out of college. The reason I picked up a racket is there was nothing else to do. There were no sports for anybody after 22. My father had helped build the Community Park tennis courts and my mom had helped to build some of the schools in Princeton. I picked up a racket and started to hit. I played some tournaments and won some and lost some."
Almost a decade ago, Sinkler became certified to be a tennis instructor. She worked for the Princeton Tennis Program and the Cherry Valley Country Club before moving into the private sector. She works with children with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and other neurological disorders. Sinkler believes anyone who puts in the practice time can learn to play tennis, and she’s particularly looking forward to getting back to some of the most devoted players in the area, at a place still close to her heart.
"It’s nice to be able to come back home," she said. "I like to give something back. Princeton High was one of my favorite stomping grounds. I was always very, very happy about being in Princeton. I liked the teachers and my coaches and the students. It’s still my hometown. I do love it still."
Sinkler, who lives now in Trenton, is excited about making the move to the varsity level, where she’ll have a chance to oversee the Little Tiger program. It’s early still, but she’s been impressed.
"We’ve had three practices (as of Monday) and the girls are doing great," she said. "I think we’ll have a solid team this year. We’re looking to do some damage."
This year will be the last on the existing tennis courts before PHS school development plans call for their destruction. Sinkler would like to help the Little Tiger girls end the courts’ era on a positive note as she looks to build for the future.
"I want to do the best I can closing it out," she said. "And the players want to close it out just like I do."
It’s nice that the PHS team and the new coach want something, especially when it’s the same thing. And that’s exactly why Carol Sinkler is so thankful to be back with the Little Tigers.