Beloved JV Tennis Coach, Charles Hutchison, has been with Marymount for 11 years and counting, and one of his most interesting stories is how he became known as Coach Charles. As a member of JV Tennis, I talked to Charles after practice and asked him a few questions about his life.

Amber: How did you get involved in tennis?

Coach Charles: I decided to try some tennis in college because I had done a lot of other sports like boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, and football. I started playing tennis because the Varsity basketball coach at Marymount was also the tennis coach. I was friends with him, and he asked me to come out, but then I decided to focus on other sports.

Amber: So when did you pick tennis back up?

Coach Charles: I picked tennis back up later on in college, in about 1973. I started playing with a group of adults in a class at Will Rogers Park where Venus and Serena Williams used to play sometimes. I played every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7-9:30, and I’ve never stopped playing or coaching since.

Amber: How did you become the tennis coach at Marymount?

Coach Charles: In 2005, I helped the varsity tennis coach with his summer camp. When I was doing the camp, on a break, one girl came over to me after I saw her speaking with 3 or 4 other girls and said that they wanted me to coach them. She went over to varsity tennis coach, Ty, who was on Court 1, and talked to him. He had tried to get me to coach the JV team for a couple years, but I denied. So then he put it on blast, and asked me in front of the whole team what I thought of coaching. I said I’d think about it, and I did, and then I started coming to Marymount as a part-time tennis coach.

Amber: How did you become the head coach of the team, and how did that change your life?

Coach Charles: At first, I only came Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Eventually, the team mom came up to me and said they needed me all the time. I said I could do that, and I changed my schedule around. At the time, I was working at the Convention Center helping set up the trade shows, and I also taught tennis lessons at Griffith Park.

Amber: What do you do besides coaching the best JV Team in the world, and what does a normal day in the life of Charles look like?

Coach Charles: I wake up early in the morning at 3 am and I listen to the talk radio, mostly sports talks. After that, I may play the piano a little bit and I read a lot. I’m currently reading the Jackie Robinson story. So, that takes me through until breakfast time. I go out to a place called Combo’s. After I finish, I teach tennis lessons with adults, well on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the morning at Griffith Park.

Amber: What do you do after tennis practice?

Coach Charles: It varies. I go and have dinner and watch Monday Night Football on Monday. On Tuesday, well, it changes every week. If there’s a sporting event, I’ll probably be hooked up there.

Amber: Okay, Charles. Time for the lightning round, but there are only 4 questions.

Coach Charles: Oh boy.   

Amber: Favorite color?

Coach Charles: Blue.

Amber: Favorite food?

Coach Charles: I like all kinds of foods.

Amber: Favorite song or artist?

Coach Charles: I like Stevie Wonder. His song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, (I’m Yours)”, is a good one.

Amber: Okay. Last question, who’s your favorite player? Just kidding. What’s your favorite thing about coaching tennis? I guess this isn’t really a lightning round question.  

Coach Charles: I really like to see the development of players I’m working with and I’ve seen a lot of progress on the JV team, but we need to work on our drill “Return a Serve.” Overall, it’s looking good!