If you’ve  watched a Girls’ Tennis match this year, chances are you’ve seen their new  JV Coach, Amanda Jackson.

    Jackson, who previously taught at Randolph High School, has joined Hills staff  as a special education teacher and has also taken on coaching three different teams: JV Girls’ Tennis in the fall, middle school basketball in the winter  and JV Softball in the spring.

Jackson partook in all of these sports throughout her career at East Stroudsburg High School South, where she was the captain of the tennis team two years in a row, winning  the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) one year and coming in second in the District XI with a 14-2 record.

 Jackson also achieved second place in the Mountain Valley Conference in No. 1 doubles and she placed fourth in the EPC at No. 3 singles, finishing her high school career with a win percentage of .521 in singles and .579 in doubles, resulting in a scholarship to play Division II Tennis at East Stroudsburg University. 

During her college years, she made two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference appearances, ending her career with an overall percentage of .500 in both singles and doubles.

Although Jackson is active in multiple sports, she  said tennis is a lifelong passion. 

“I love this sport because it is something that I can play for the rest of my life,” she said. “A lot of sports require you to be on a team in order to play; however, with tennis, I really only need one other person to play a competitive match.”

Tennis, though, was not always her number one sport.

“I had originally played softball only, all through middle school and high school,” she said. “It was my middle school gym teacher and high school softball coach who encouraged me to start playing tennis.” 

           When asked how her first year is going so far, Jackson was quick to respond. 

          “Coaching at Warren Hills has been one of my favorite endeavors to date. I like that I know students who are not necessarily in one of my classes,” she said. “I also enjoy getting to know my student- athletes on a more personal level, as well as getting to know some of the other coaches.”

         Although at the time of this interview there was still time left to the girls’ season, Jackson could already pick out one of her favorite moments. 

“So far my favorite moment was when the Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team beat Bound Brook 5-0,” she said. “I think that this was a great win early in the season and it definitely set the tone for what is yet to come.” 

Helping athletes achieve their goals are Jackson’s top priorities. 

“My favorite thing about coaching is helping student-athletes become the best they can be,” she said.  “I had some great successes when I was a student-athlete and I remember the feelings during those moments were truly indescribable. I really want to help my athletes experience the same feeling.”