EVERETT – Jennifer Kink insists she’s an introvert.
“I don’t like the spotlight being on me,” she said.
Like it or not, the spotlight is closing in.
Kink, 31, the second-year head coach of Cascade High School’s boys tennis team, has orchestrated a mind-boggling feat by guiding the Bruins to a 32-0 record in Western Conference North Division dual meets over the past two seasons. Cascade wrapped up its second consecutive undefeated league campaign Friday with a 7-0 sweep of Arlington.
When asked to explain the startling success, Kink pointed to dominant senior leaders such as Clayton Shaw and Brandon Whited, the team’s Nos. 1 and 2 singles players, respectively. She also praised less-experienced contributors such as Broasna Chup and Jordan Lamprecht, who rallied from the brink of defeat to pull off a clutch three-set victory at No. 3 doubles on Oct. 11 to complete a nerve-frazzling 4-3 triumph over Stanwood. In addition, Kink commended supportive parents, and Cascade junior-varsity coach Malcolm Mano for molding varsity-ready players.
So what is Kink’s impact? She downplays her role, but according to the Bruins, it’s huge.
“She unifies us,” said Shaw, who is 16-0 this season and lost only one Wesco North match last year. “She takes more of a caring approach (with) each one of us.”
“She’s awesome,” added Whited, who is 15-1. “She’s the reason we win. We all do it for ourselves, but then there’s her in the back of our mind because we all want to make her proud.”
Mission accomplished.
Kink beams when she reflects on her players’ accomplishments. She calls it a return to greatness, making reference to Cascade’s brief slump after it won a state title in 2000 under former Bruins coach Charlie Cobb. (Shaw’s older brother, Scott Shaw, was a senior doubles player on that team.)
This season has been more rewarding than last year, Kink said, because there was more uncertainty. “We’ve had to work a lot harder for it,” she said.
The Bruins graduated five starters from the undefeated 2004 unit but still emerged without a blemish. Besides its heart-thumping victory last week over Stanwood, Cascade scratched out a pair of 4-3 victories over Snohomish. Now the Bruins are gearing up for this week’s Wesco North tournament, which determines who advances to districts on Oct. 27-29 at Stanwood High.
Kink also coaches Cascade’s girls tennis team, a job she’s held the past six seasons. She played tennis at Woodinville High and another three years at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. Kink takes pride in being the only female head boys tennis coach in the Wesco North.
“I have a lot of energy,” she said. “I get really excited. … My biggest asset is that I’m really good at motivating my team and being a part of their lives.”
Kink fosters an ideal blend of fun and focus.
“We can have fun all the time,” Whited said, “but once it comes down to the match … that’s when we get serious. And after that, it’s just ‘Game on.’”
The Bruins promote unity with team dinners and several traditions, like a pre-match routine where they huddle, put their hands in the middle and each chant a word of inspiration (focus, strength, placement, etc.) Another custom is for Kink to reward players who complete 6-0 set victories with Krispy Kreme donuts.
Judging by how many glazed confections he’s earned, Clayton Shaw should have a gut like John Madden’s, not Andy Roddick’s. But the well-toned senior captain directed a rare complaint at Kink: She’s fallen behind on the donut deliveries.
Donut debates aside, Kink and Cascade have put together an extraordinary run of success – one that gets sweeter every day.
“It’s gonna be probably the best memory of high school for me,” Whited said. “You can walk around and say, ‘Hey, I’m on the (Cascade) tennis team: 32-and-oh.’ It’s so awesome to be a leader on that kind of team.”
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