Making the journey more important than the final destination has served Frank Inn well over the past 30 years.

It’s a teaching philosophy that has allowed the 52-year-old to remain energized on the tennis court, and one that recently led him to be honored as the 2004 tennis developmental coach of the year by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

"I was quite humbled by that because there are a lot of good coaches out there who work in the trenches like I do," says Inn, who is in his 22nd year of teaching tennis in the Rogue Valley after about eight years in Northern California. "A lot of them have put in their time like I have to developing tennis players out there, and I’m honored to have been selected out of that group."

The United States Tennis Association nominated Inn for the USOC award by selecting him from a group of leading tennis developmental coaches from across the country. Inn’s résumé includes the development of numerous ranked tennis players at the sectional, national and professional level — most notably former ATP Tour standout Jonathan Stark of Medford.

Inn, who had no idea he was even up for the USOC award, says he sat down and made a list about five years ago of his pupils and was floored by the vast number of their accomplishments. Most recently at the high school level, Jenny Brown won the Class 4A girls tennis state title in singles as part of North Medford High’s state championship team in 2001, McKenzie Hilmer and Lauren Wilson were state runners-up in doubles last year and Tyler Wilson was a state semifinalist for the Black Tornado boys in 2004.

Advertisement

Inn, who is the director of tennis at the Rogue Valley Swim and Tennis Club in Medford, credits his longevity as a coach and ability to renew himself each year as the prime factors for earning the USOC honor.

"I just think there’s probably not a lot of people who can consistently keep going from year to year for that long of a period of time," says Inn, who began teaching tennis for the Parks and Recreation Department while attending Sacramento State University.

Most importantly, Inn says he has continued to hone his craft and not merely rest on his laurels in his three decades of coaching.

"If you think you know it all, you don’t know anything," he says. "I think the key is to continue to grow as a teacher. What I’m doing now isn’t exactly what I did in the past.

"The more you learn, the more you’re going to be able to communicate and convey all the great lessons in tennis."

Inn says he tries to make the experience as fun as possible for his pupils, while still preaching life’s lessons of how hard work and dedication can propel them to lofty heights.

"I really have fun with the process probably more than anything else," says Inn. "It’s enjoyable to watch someone progress as they start from one level and progress to the next level and so on. I think that journey is probably the most enjoyable part of what I do."

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com