The Beacon
BY YANEEK SMITH, BEACON CONTRIBUTOR
OAK HARBOR When Rick LaFountain started coaching tennis, his knowledge of the sport was limited and he probably didn’t know that he would wind up coaching for such a long time.
For his efforts, LaFountain was rewarded when he reached an incredible milestone and notched his 500th victory last week in Oak Harbor’s 4-1 win over Fostoria.
It was the work of a man who has coached for decades at Oak Harbor and Fremont Ross, and for one season with St. Joseph Central Catholic.
“It’s been fun to look back and think of the great, young kids that I coached. Hopefully I had a positive influence, hopefully they think positively of me and the times we had. I guess I’m more of a product of longevity, I had a lot of really good players and really good kids,” said LaFountain. “I hope I have another 100 wins or so. I had a lot of really good athletic directors given me a lot of support from Bill Hubans all the way up to Drew Grahl
Rick LaFountain hits 500 wins in his 53rd season Published by sports@presspub. on Thu, 04/01/2021 - 1:45pm
By:
J. Patrick Eaken
Oak Harbor’s tennis coaching staff is “all in the family.” At Baywinds Tennis Club after a New Year’s tournament, head coach Rick LaFountain and assistants Greg LaFountain, Jacqueline (McClune) LaFountain, Connor Russell and Ashley (LaFountain) Russell. Connor Russell is Rick’s son-in-law and not on the staff.
Oak Harbor senior Brenen Ish and junior Kyle Glaser are the Rockets’ only returning letter winners from the 2019 tennis season. “We have a bunch of athletic kids. I am hoping for continued improvement throughout the season,” Oak Harbor coach Rick LaFountain said.