WHS Tennis Coach Wins Sportsmanship Award

Wylie High School Tennis Coach Andy Cariens has been named the 2024 recipient of the Holly Ford Sportsmanship Award given by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association.
 
“This award is the payoff for not only having great coaches as part of my coaching staff but also great parents and teachers who instill quality character in our student-athletes,” Cariens said.

The Holly Ford Sportsmanship Award, named after the first recipient of the award, Holly Ford, is one of seven special recognition awards given by TTCA. The organization states, “Education is incomplete without sports, and sports are incomplete without a true education of sportsmanship.”

Coach Cariens, who has been coaching for over a decade with the last nine years at WHS, said it is a great honor to receive this award and an even greater honor to be a part of the Pirate Tennis program.

“I think many people believe sportsmanship ‘just happens’; however, it’s a conscious decision that must be taught and practiced,” he said. “We also keep our athletes accountable for how they show up to compete and practice.”

Cariens holds his athletes to a high standard, emphasizing the importance of how they represent themselves on and off the court.

“Being a good sport, to me, is more than being able to win or lose with a good attitude,” he said. “My coaches and I make sure that our athletes know they are representing more than just themselves.”

He reminds his athletes that they are part of a bigger picture, representing not just the team and the school but also their families and the entire community.

“With the help of this awesome district, coaches, parents, and athletes from the past and present, we have been able to honor the legacy of Wylie Pirate Tennis since 2018 when we won our first district championship,” Cariens said. “Our athletes know that we play for those past teams that came before us and we always want to make sure we are honoring their legacy to the Pirate Tennis Program.”

Coach Cariens will be celebrated in December at the annual TTCA convention.