Devereux, Kvam trading tennis coaching roles

• Denise Devereux and Teresa Kvam

Tiger tennis coaches Denise Devereux and Teresa Kvam (l-r) are changing roles for the 2010 season.

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The coaches will remain the same, only their roles will be reversed.

New Richmond girls tennis coach Teresa Kvam has stepped down from the varsity coaching position she has held the past 12 years. Stepping in as varsity coach will be Denise Devereux, who has been Kvam’s assistant coach the past six years.

Kvam will now become Devereux’s assistant coach.

Kvam stepped down to create more availability in her schedule. Both of her daughters are hoping to play college tennis this fall and she was hoping for more free time to see them play.

In the 12 years that Kvam coached the Tigers, the team won 115 matches, against 42 losses.

Kvam said she’d have difficulty being an assistant coach in most situations, but this is unique.

“Our philosophies are so similar. She really cares about developing quality young women,” Kvam said.

Both coaches said the talent is in place for the Tigers to make a strong run at the Middle Border Conference title this fall.

“We have a four-peat to accomplish this year,” Kvam said.

In her 12 years as coach, the Tigers won six conference titles.

Through Kvam’s early years in the program the Tigers competed at the WIAA Division 2 level. The Tigers were one of the top programs in western Wisconsin at that level. They reached the WIAA team tournament twice in Division 2 under Kvam (in 2002 and 2003) and had numerous individual state qualifiers.

In recent years the Tigers were elevated to Division 1. It is a big step up and the Tigers have been gradually improving in the Division 1 tournament each year.

Devereux said her goal is to “get us back to state, even though we’re Division 1.”

Devereux said the girls started to believe in last fall’s season that they could compete on an even level with any team they see in this section of Division 1.

While believing they can do it is a big part, Devereux said strength and commitment to the game are the two other necessary parts for the girls to be powers in Division 1.

Devereux brings a vast amount of tennis experience to the position. She played collegiately for UW-La Crosse. She then worked for 15 years as a instructor for Peter Burwash International, the largest international tennis company in the world. Her main locations for tennis instruction through those years were in Hawaii, Canada, the Middle East and Austria. She served as the director of the number one tennis camp in Europe.

She was also a member of the PBI tennis show that is considered the “Harlem Globetrotters” of tennis. She did a tour with this group through Asia one year. They also performed at the Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports facility in Orlando.

Coaching is in Devereux’s bloodlines. Her parents, Bill and Betty Komula, coached several sports at New Richmond High School. Her mom coached the boys tennis team for 10 years.

Tags: sports, tigers, tennis, prep