Arnold takes over Knight girls tennis
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Richard Arnold had a first in his tennis coaching career Friday.
”I’ve never been on a field trip with 18 girls,” Arnold said.
Arnold took his new team — the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North girls tennis team — to U.S. Open qualifying matches in New York, a pre-season bonding trip of sorts and a way to get to see another side and get more comfortable in communicating with their new coach.
”If they come back as a better unit, that’s even more important,” Arnold said. “If they made a couple friends on the way, it was worth it.”
Arnold is adjusting to his new post and trying to get the Knights on board with his coaching style. He comes from within the district, a tough move between rivals.
Arnold has been the boys varsity coach at WW-P South the last two years after serving as an assistant for the boys for four years. For the last six seasons, he was an assistant to Carla Crawbuck for the girls team at WW-P South, and he was prepared to fill the same role this fall for a Pirates team that is loaded with talent this year.
”I feel loyal to both schools,” Arnold said. “I coached at both schools. I subbed at both schools.”
Having been at both schools didn’t make it any easier to move over from one school to the next. He felt connected to both, but the chance to run his own team again and lift a team to new heights was too much to pass up.
”All my close people said, Rich you have to take the job,” he said. “I reasoned and I wanted to take the job. It’s a challenge. I want to take girls that aren’t as good and make them better.
”If I could create good doubles teams, I’d be proud. . . of them, and that I accomplished something.”
Arnold is hoping to bring some stability and raise standards for the Knights. He is the fifth new head coach in six years for them. He follows James Vance, who was another former WW-P South assistant coach before coaching the North girls last season. Arnold has coached girls before at WW-P North; for three years he was the assistant coach for the Knights softball team.
”I’m back at North,” Arnold said. “I live in Plainsboro. It’s a challenge. It’s going to be a big challenge. I’m going to get these girls to play doubles better. We’ll be solid at the doubles so if we play the super powers, it’ll help.”
Win both doubles positions is a key to growing the program. Win the doubles spots and the team’s match can be won with just one singles victory. Winning doubles keeps a team in every match. Arnold has focused on the doubles play at WW-P South while serving as an assistant, and he is hoping to boosts North’s play at the bottom of its lineup once it is determined.
”We’re not even done with the doubles challenges,” Arnold said, “and the No. 1 singles girls have beaten each other once each and have to play and the doubles challenges start Monday.
”They want to play with who they want to play with, but you have to get along with everybody on the tennis court. For everybody, you’re going to try to win.”
Arnold only accepted the job days before the pre-season practices began. He wishes he had more time to prepare for his new post, but he is working to bring the Knights along as quickly as he can as he learns the abilities of the players that he has on his new team.
”I don’t like to do things at the last minute,” Arnold said. “If I can get them better, that will make everything worthwhile.”
Arnold enjoys working with tennis players. Prior to his assistant coaching job at WW-P South, he had never worked with a team of girls. He learned a lot in his tenure as an girls assistant that he aims to remember as he coaches at North.
”I think you have to control your emotions,” Arnold said. “Girls are a lot more sensitive. You have to be careful what you say. They know I’m energetic. They know I coach the boys.
”I’ve told them, you’re going to have to condition, you’re going to have to be tough. We have to win the doubles at South (to keep the match close), and that would be an accomplishment. They’ve improved so much.”
Arnold is hoping to see similar steps toward that progress with the Knights this season. He is embracing the job.
”The challenge is good,” Arnold said. “It’s good for me. You’re not loaded with great players. You have to make them better.
”I’ve got to earn it. It’s going to be a tough journey. We have to start realistically with the county championship, at least be in the hunt. Something good could happen from there if they work hard, like the doubles teams could get some points for us.”
Richard Arnold didn’t have much notice, but he is on board with the new task facing him. WW-P North has been good, but he wants them to aim to be great, like their nearby sister school. And for the Knights to take a step forward, he had to make a tough choice to leave WW-P South and help their North rivals.
”I’m psyched,” Arnold said. “It’s good. I like the kids at North and South. I’ve been in the school district since 2001, so I kind of know what they’re like.”