Tennis: Generations of Bearcats come together for a special event

By Zach Martin / [email protected]

More than 30 people lined the Jack State tennis courts at WF West High School, waiting for a little rain on Sunday afternoon. Take a look and there is one striking difference.

Some were older customers and some were young.

Yet there is one common denominator everywhere. Most played for Coach State during his five-decade tenure as the Bearcats' tennis coach, and everyone knew him.

“It just seemed like a good thing to do something that he would have really wanted to come see,” Jack State Memorial Tennis Invitational organizer TJ Underwood said. “There's a sentiment here and everyone is watching everyone else. To show everyone what's going to happen, that's how it works. You stay connected to your community.”

Time has flown by since Coach State passed away in January at the age of 80. Yet his legacy continues to grow.

State's two children – daughter Kristin and son Kyle – started the Jack State Foundation, which aims to help children and athletes afford whatever they need.

“Jack believed in the transformative power of sports to foster teamwork, discipline and personal growth,” the foundation’s summary states. “The JSF is committed to breaking down financial barriers so that all student athletes can pursue their passions and reach their full potential, both on and off the field, court or track.”

Whether it's a baseball glove or uniforms for a traveling group, Kristin State said mini-grants are achievable.

“We want to help kids who want to play,” State said. “I don't feel like there is a geographic lock. We would like to help anywhere (in the state).

Coach State, who once ran the Chehalis Tennis Club, used his coaching money to pay for lessons and apparel for state tournaments.

Now the bank account is managed by his children and the funds are proactively used for various purposes.

Bearcats head coach Megan Wellander is excited about the potential of the foundation and what it can do for others.

“Sometimes people are intimidated by tennis, it's kind of a rich kid's sport,” Wellander says. “We can make this rich children's sport accessible to all students who want to get their hands on a racket.”

The Invitation began in 2022 and was organized as a tournament broadcast on the casual side. Underwood wanted to keep that same atmosphere the day after Coach State's memorial service.

He thinks Coach State would have wanted it that way.

“Generally speaking, he would have told us to stop talking and go out there and hit,” Underwood joked. “He wouldn't have wanted the attention. All the lives he touched, that was the most important thing.”

In particular, the practice drills that Coach State conducted for 50 years on the boys' side and 47 of them also with the WF West girls, were brought before the court again.

One practice was doubles and four were on one side of the field, eight against ten on the other. The eight-a-side half had to convert two rally shots and an overhead shot each (six winners in total) to win the exercise.

The team of four rotated as long as they dodged six winning shots.

“I love these exercises,” Wellander said. “They are creative, but focused on very specific skills. Everyone is involved all the time.”

Since the JSF is just getting started, there aren’t many fundraising events planned. State said she’d like to have something on June 8, noting Coach State’s towering presence, his 6-foot-8.

Another possible event State mentioned was walking the same path as her father when he went hiking.

“We are still exploring the possibilities of raising money and I also don’t want to step on the toes of the (indoor) tennis facility that is being built,” State said. “The more money we get, the more people we can help.”

Players and the Chehalis community continue to share stories about games, practices and other memories from the Coach State era.

Now that the high school courts bear his name and the foundation is getting off the ground, there is still plenty to talk about in the sport he cared about so much.

“I'm excited that not only my generation or even previous generations are showing up, but the current generation,” Wellander said. “It's this huge community that has been influenced by this amazing person that I've been so influenced by and we get to carry it on. That's so unique.”