It’s highly improbable that a coach at The Baldwin School came on board without having played sports themselves. However, not every coach knew that coaching would be their profession. 

Elizabeth Cast coaches volleyball, track, and basketball. She played these sports in addition to softball growing up. At Baldwin, she can be found with a ponytail, holding a clipboard or a stopwatch on the side of the court or track. But Coach Cast did not always know that coaching was in her future after her previous athletic career.

“Honestly, I didn’t start out thinking that teaching would be my profession, but the world works in beautiful ways, and I truly believe that you will find the path you are meant to be on whether you are looking or not,” Coach Cast said. 

Coach Cast also noted that playing a sport helps people become better coaches.

“I played my sports because I loved playing,” Coach Cast said. “I coach now because I still love playing and hopefully get to help my athletes do things they love as well.”

Coach Cast gets to continue sharing the admiration she has for her sport–even when she’s not on the sidelines–by pouring that knowledge into the next generation.

Every coach featured at Baldwin has a background in various sports, each serving in multiple positions in the Athletics department. Head Coach Tracy Tooke of the Baldwin and Haverford Tennis teams and a member of the physical education department has always been involved in numerous athletic pursuits throughout her life.

As a three-sport Division I athlete at Kent State University, Coach Tooke excelled in field hockey, basketball, and tennis before transferring to Auburn University to continue her tennis career. Coach Tooke brings the confidence she built as an athlete into her coaching roles at Baldwin and Haverford.

Many student-athletes can agree that coaches have a significant impact on their careers; however, athletes don’t realize the impact they have on their coaches. Former tennis, squash, and field hockey athlete Coach Elise Pitechelli specializes in racket sports and physical education classes. She is known for her enthusiastic line, “Five Inter-Ac Titles,” during the school’s annual winter assembly, “Twelve Days of Christmas” Baldwin-remix song, radiating pride as she presented a photo of herself alongside the first team she ever coached. 

Coach Pitichelli shared a memory of her first tennis team dousing her in Gatorade after winning their first league championship. She later returned, beaming with enthusiasm, after pulling the photo from her desk shelf. She reminisced about the team’s achievements and the sportsmanship they had fostered throughout their athletic careers.

“They were my first team,” Coach Pitichelli said.

Under her leadership, the tennis team claimed five out of six league championships that year. The photograph with all of their trophies together left an indelible mark on Coach Pitechelli.

When recalling their favorite memories as both athletes and coaches, the coaches reflected on the lasting impact that sports can have on how athletes view life.

Former cross-country, track, and soccer player and current Upper School winter and spring track coach Kate Leibrand shared a comical story about when she and her Elizabethtown cross-country teammates advanced to the national championships in Minnesota. While snow fell from the Minnesota sky, she and her teammates ran around in joy, cross-country painted on their stomachs. This story highlights how her personal experiences and love for the sport inspire her coaching philosophy and connect her with her athletes.

“Cross-Country and track are both mental sports, and doing those sports helped me understand my athletes more,” Coach Kate said. 

Coach Tooke reflected on the past season for the Baldwin tennis team, which was filled with many ups and downs.

“I was amazed by the bounce back throughout the season,” Tookes said.

Coach Tooke’s favorite memory was watching her Baldwin tennis team face adversity and make a deep run in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Tournament, showing resilience and determination. Even while standing on the sidelines with a stopwatch in hand, Coach Tooke always strives to understand what her athletes need from her as a mentor and how they can succeed as athletes and a team.

Former soccer and tennis player-turned strength and conditioning and middle school soccer instructor, Coach Christian Jeantet, is typically found in the fitness center in a pair of sweatpants and a Baldwin t-shirt. When asked about his favorite memory throughout his athletic career, he noted the teamwork and togetherness demonstrated throughout his Baldwin teams.

“I love watching the kids progress and enjoy playing the sport of soccer, not just on the field, but also in the team-bonding moments,” Coach Jeantet said.

While participating in athletics looks different now for each of these coaches, that does not diminish the time and dedication they put into preparing workouts, organizing practices, and coaching games for each student-athlete at Baldwin. In fact, their commitment stems from their having been athletes themselves.