GALT, CA (MPG) - Shelby Behrmann was not looking for a coaching job. She was not even playing tennis yet when the Liberty Ranch tennis program first crossed her mind. But when a vacancy opened and it looked like the Hawks might not have a coach at all, someone who knew Behrmann thought of her, and everything changed from there. Now in her second year leading the Liberty Ranch co-ed tennis team, Behrmann has quietly engineered one of the more remarkable turnarounds in the program’s recent history, guiding the Hawks from a 1-13 record last season to a 7-4 mark this year and a spot in the playoffs that she admits was not even on her radar when the season began.

“We are far exceeding that goal,” Behrmann said of her aim to simply win more games than the year before. “It just shows what one year of experience will do.”

Behrmann’s path to the sideline is anything but conventional. She played competitive tennis briefly as a child – from ages 9 to 11 – before burning out on the sport entirely and walking away. Tennis was not part of her high school experience at all. Her sports were cheerleading and softball. She went to college, got married, raised four children and spent seven years as a substitute teacher in the Galt Elementary School District, primarily at McCaffrey, until the COVID-19 pandemic brought that chapter to a close in 2020.

When her youngest child started his freshman year at Liberty Ranch in the fall of 2021 – the first full return to in-person schooling since the pandemic – Behrmann found herself with something she had not had in years: free time. She decided she wanted to get active and meet people, and a visit to the Laguna Creek Sports Club to look at its tennis courts set off a chain of events she never could have anticipated. A tour became a private lesson, a private lesson became adult league play, and adult league play became something far more serious.

Today, Behrmann plays tennis four to five times a week, holds a 4.0 USTA ranking, competes in doubles tournaments and has qualified – alongside her doubles partner – for the 4.0 Women’s Doubles USTA 18+ Nationals in Houston, Texas. USTA NorCal sends only the top three teams in each division to nationals. Behrmann and her partner earned their spot.

“Tennis is a huge part of my life now,” she said simply.

It is that genuine love for the sport that she brings to practice every afternoon at Liberty Ranch, and it shows in the culture she has built. Despite having no prior coaching experience – she openly acknowledges that her preparation comes from being a mother of four, a substitute teacher, her own weekly lessons at Laguna Creek Sports Club, and the advice she regularly seeks from her own coaches – Behrmann has created something rare on the courts: a team that actually acts like one.

“I highly encourage the kids who are not playing to watch those that are and to cheer for them,” she said. “I feel like Liberty is one of the best supportive teams in the league right now. We cheer for our teammates more than any others. Our whole team travels, and everyone stays until home matches are over. A lot of other teams’ kids leave when their individual match is over.”

The challenges she has faced are real and significant. Her roster of 27 players includes many who have never held a racket before, let alone competed. Two teams in the league – Amador and Argonaut – benefit from feeder programs that introduce tennis to kids at the elementary school level, making them nearly impossible to beat. Behrmann manages all 27 players largely on her own, without an assistant coach, dividing the team across courts and rotating groups through drill sessions with her before sending them to compete against each other.

“Tennis is a very technical sport and is not easily mastered,” she said. “Experience cannot be skipped.”

There is also a structural disadvantage built into the courts themselves. The Liberty Ranch tennis courts were constructed on an east-west axis rather than the regulation north-south orientation, meaning players frequently compete while staring directly into the setting sun. “Tennis is a very difficult sport to learn,” Behrmann said, “even more difficult to learn while playing half blind.”

Her coaching philosophy is direct and rooted in honesty. She tells her athletes that she will give 100% to coaching and expects 100% from them in return. She emphasizes the mental side of the game as much as the technical, reminding players that even professionals lose and that the key is learning to respond to mistakes rather than be defined by them. Sportsmanship and tennis etiquette are non-negotiables.

“I always want them to show great sportsmanship,” she said.

Behrmann’s first year was, by her own admission, a significant learning curve. She had never played high school tennis herself and spent much of that season figuring out what to expect.

“Definitely learned to have a lot of patience,” she said with characteristic candor.

That patience is paying off. The Hawks are in the playoffs. The culture is strong. And Behrmann  – an empty-nester who took a tour of a sports club just a few years ago and ended up qualifying for nationals – has a message for any Liberty Ranch student still on the fence about picking up a racket.

“I would say you are not alone,” she said. “Many people don’t come out because they are worried they are too much of a beginner, but so are a lot of people. Tennis is one of the best sports to get involved with because it is something you can play your whole life. It gets you active, it gets you meeting new people and it’s fun. Look at me: I’m an empty nester playing competitive sports. I personally think kids who play other competitive sports should play tennis in the spring to make them a more well-rounded athlete.”

From a 1-13 record to the playoffs in one season, Shelby Behrmann is proof that the right coach does not always come from where you expect, and that it is never too late to fall in love with a sport all over again.