Matt Helsel

Matt Helsel is in his 4th year at the helm of both the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Elizabethtown College. His women’s teams have gone from 7 wins and 10 losses his first year, to 14-4 in his second, are currently 14-0 this season. The Blue Jays are the 2004 Commonwealth Conference champions and are riding a 19-match winning streak, dating back to last year. His men’s teams have enjoyed success as well, including a 12-5 record in 2003. In back-to-back years, Coach Helsel had finalists at the Middle Atlantic Conference Individual Championships in singles (2002) and doubles (2003). Coach Helsel was recently named Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year for the 2nd straight season. Blue Jay teams, under Coach Helsel, are noted for their mental toughness and discipline. They are consistent and resilient singles players, yet relentlessly aggressive doubles players. For more information on the success of Blue Jay tennis, check out the team’s website at http://www2.etown.edu/sports/wtennis/. Matt also works with numerous high school and junior players in the Lancaster area, and regularly conducts intense, high-energy clinics for club teams, adults, and juniors. In the past few years, Matt has conducted clinics alongside former top touring professionals such as Tim Mayotte, Tim Wilkinson, and Luke and Murphy Jenson, and is quoted several times about teaching tennis in the book "Sign Me Up! The Parents’ Complete Guide to Sports, Activities, Music Lessons, Dance Classes, and Other Extracurriculars", written by Stacy DeBroff. Matt looks forward to working with you and focusing on many aspects ignored by most teaching professionals such as mental toughness, point production (the blueprint of winning a point) and match strategy (the blueprint of winning a match)… mixed in, of course, with stroke mechanics, technique, and a whole lot of fun!