The Huffington Post – Mary Ryerse
“Reflecting upon enduring lessons learned during my formative years, a primary source was former professor and college tennis coach Steve Wilkinson. I am not alone. Thousands of former students, athletes, and campers have credited Steve’s clear, simple and profound teachings as being at the core of who they are today. Steve brought with him not only the credibility of a PhD., too many tennis titles to count, a published book, inductee to several Hall of Fames, and more – but also a ready smile, a caring heart, and the ability to connect seemingly simple lessons learned on the court to life off the court. This is much like the opportunity parents have each day to create an environment that transforms day-to-day activities into a training ground for life. Parents are in a unique position to help their children draw connections between what they are learning and doing (in school, activities, community service, family conversations, and more) with enduring life lessons. After Steve recently passed away after 6 years of living with cancer, his daughters (Stephanie Wilkinson and Deborah Wilkinson Sundal) and colleagues (Neal Hagberg and Tommy Valentini), articulated many of Steve’s lessons – and I’ve done my best to build upon them and draw connections between learning and life in practical ways.”(more)