ANDREW THURSTON

I am someone who has been surrounded by sports my whole life. In high school I was a three sport athlete (soccer, swimming, and tennis). I was a two time captain for both my swimming and my tennis team. I went on to swim for the University of Massachusetts. After my swimming career, I began exploring new sports as well as coaching opportunities. I have participated in leagues for hockey, bowling, sand volleyball, and indoor volleyball as well as the three sports I grew up playing. These sports I picked up after college were all self-taught using online resources.

The variety of experience I have has helped me understand that every scenario is different and requires a slightly different approach. Depending on the setting, the athlete, their experience, and many other factors, I try to adjust my coaching style to fit their needs. Most importantly, any experience must be enjoyable in order for the athlete to gain any benefit from it.

My core belief is balance. I always taught this to my athletes especially when working with the leadership groups. We would work on balance between putting your team first and making sure you take care of yourself, the balance between being accountable and not being too hard on yourself.

In this environment, I would believe the main focus is the balance between having fun and still having some valuable learning experience time on the court.

My day job is as a mechanical engineer, but my true passion is sports. Along with coaching, I have also worked recently as a tennis stringer, restringing and regripping rackets.