Technically speaking, Earl Cunningham is the new head coach at Michigan City.
However, “new” is not an adjective that accurately describes Cunningham, who was Michigan City Rogers’ first boys tennis coach in 1971.
Cunningham has never been the head coach of a girls team and hasn’t been a head tennis coach at Michigan City since the late 1970s. He coaches La Lumiere’s boys in the fall and served as a girls assistant at Michigan City nine years ago.
Cunningham took over Michigan City girls tennis when Don Varda resigned to coach his freshman daughter at LaPorte.
Talking with Cunningham is like a trip on a time machine to the early days of Michigan City tennis.
Cunningham started teaching at Michigan City in 1969 when there was one high school in town. He moved to Rogers when that school opened in 1971 and was still there when Rogers and Elston consolidated in 1995. He also enjoyed a successful run as Rogers basketball coach from 1982-1987.
“When they opened this school in the fall of 1971, I was the head tennis coach and they didn’t have courts yet,” Cunningham said. “We were going to a junior high to play; we only had four courts at Barker Middle School. It was just chaotic. Cement courts with yellow lines. Kids would wear out a pair of shoes in a week because the cement was that rough.
“It was a tough start, but our kids competed.”
Cunningham said the quality of play has improved since the opening in Michigan City of the Northwest Athletic Club, which has five indoor courts. During Cunningham’s last stint at Michigan City, the nearest indoor court was in Griffith.
The school’s facilities also have improved dramatically.
“Chain-link fences were the nets at Barker when I first started,” he said. “It was pretty deplorable.”
Cunningham and the Wolves lost four senior starters to graduation, including their top two singles players. Sophomore Sydney Kohn is expected to leap to the No. 1 singles spot, while seniors Paige Cuma, Abby Bildhauser and Abby Schoonaert will provide veteran leadership.
Michigan City (11-5) had its streak of 14 consecutive sectional titles snapped by LaPorte last season.
Cunningham said the toughest adjustment has been for the three seniors who played for the same coach for three seasons. However, they feel comfortable with the coaching change.
“It’s definitely nice having a coach that already knows what he’s talking about and what he’s doing,” Cuma said. “We didn’t want to have to rebuild the program our senior year and teach the coach everything. It’s nice having someone that already knows everything about this school and the program. He can pick up right where we left off.”
Varda and Cunningham remain close. When Varda was in high school, he played for Cunningham and the two have known each other for 40 years.
“For some reason, we all keep getting older,” Varda said with a laugh. “He’s been great to me; we’ve been friends for a long time. I was really happy Michigan City got him as their coach. He’ll come in there and keep that program up where we had it. I was really concerned about that. He’ll do a great job.”
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
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Top 5 teams
1. Munster: The 2015 state runner-up Mustangs (18-4) may be even more talented this year. Five starters return, including doubles combo Anisha Vavilala and Sara Ladd (18-1).
2. Valparaiso: Every player who started in last year’s sectional championship loss to Chesterton returns this season. Seniors Rachel Crookston and Madisen Kammerer have been fixtures since their freshman season.
3. Lake Central: After an injury-plagued 2015, the Indians are healthy and poised to make noise. Junior No. 1 singles player Kristi Tinsley is regarded as the area’s top player.
4. LaPorte: Former Michigan City coach Don Varda takes the reins at LaPorte. The Slicers are led by Jillian Boger, who played No. 2 singles the last three seasons.
5. Portage: After losing just one player to graduation, the Indians (13-7) bring back a veteran group. Senior Emily Sajda (singles) and junior Brittney Shebish (doubles) lead the way.
Top 10 players to watch
Brianna Baez, Whiting, senior, singles; Jillian Boger, LaPorte, senior, singles; Rachel Crookston, Valparaiso, senior, singles; Sara Ladd, Munster, junior, doubles; Madisen Kammerer, Valparaiso, senior, singles; Ana Maksimovich, Crown Point, sophomore, doubles; Hannah Nabhan, Chesterton, sophomore, singles; Tatiana Spak, Hobart, senior, doubles; Karolina Sroka, Munster, freshman, singles; Kristi Tinsley, Lake Central, junior, singles.