Over 30 people stood alongside the Jack State tennis courts at W.F. West High School, waiting out a slight blip of rain on Sunday afternoon. Take a look and there's one striking difference.
Some were older patrons and some were young.
Yet there’s one common denominator throughout. Most played for Coach State during his five-decade tenure as the Bearcats tennis coach and everyone knew him.
“It just seemed right to do something he would have really liked to come out and watch,” organizer of the Jack State Memorial Tennis Invitational T.J. Underwood said. “There is a sentiment here and everyone keeps an eye on everybody. To show anybody that is coming up, this is how it works. You still stay connected to your community.”
Time continues to pass by since Coach State passed away in January at the age of 80. Still, his legacy continues to rise.
State’s two kids – daughter Kristin and son Kyle – have started the Jack State Foundation that is aiming to help kids and athletes in funding for whatever is needed.
“Jack believed in the transformative power of sport fostering teamwork, discipline and personal growth,” a statement summarizing the foundation read. “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 is a glove for baseball or uniforms for a travel team, Kristin State said mini grants will be attainable.
“We want to help kids who want to play,” State said. “I don’t feel like there is a geographic lock. We’d love to help all over (the state).
Coach State, who once ran the Chehalis Tennis Club, would take his coaching checks and use that money to pay for lessons and apparel for state tournaments.
Now, the bank account is run by his children and the funds will be used in a proactive way for various needs.
Bearcats head coach Megan Wellander is excited for the potential of the foundation and what it can provide for others.
“Sometimes people are intimidated by tennis, it is kind of the rich kid sport,” Wellander said. “We get to make this rich kid sport accessible to all students who want to pick up a racket.”
The Invite started in 2022 and was organized as a tournament that aired on the side of casual. Underwood wanted to keep that same vibe a day after Coach State’s memorial service.
He feels Coach State would have wanted it that way.
“In general, he would have told us to stop talking and go out and hit,” Underwood joked. “He wouldn’t have wanted the attention. All the lives he impacted, that was the biggest thing.”
Mainly, the practice drills that Coach State did for 50 years on the boys side and 47 of them also with the W.F. West girls were brought to the court once again.
One drill was doubles and four were on one side of the court, eight-to-10 on the other side. The half that had eight-to-10 had to convert two rally shots and an overhead shot apiece (six total winners) to win the drill.
The side with four rotated as long as they avoided six winning shots.
“I love these drills,” Wellander said. “They are creative, but focused on very specific skills. Everyone is involved the entire time.”
Since the JSF is starting out, there aren’t many planned fundraising events on the docket. State said she’d love to have something on June 8, highlighting the towering presence of Coach State at 6-foot-8.
Another potential event State brought up was walking the same path her dad did when he’d go out for a stroll.
“We’re still working out the fundraising opportunities and I don’t want to step on the toes of the (indoor) tennis facility being built either,” State said. “The more money we get, the more people we can help.”
Stories continue to be shared about matches, practices and other memories by players and the Chehalis community during Coach State’s time.
Now with the high school courts donning his name and the foundation getting off the ground, there remains plenty to talk about in the sport he cared so much about.
“Happy to see not just my generation or even previous generations show up, but the present generation come,” Wellander said. “It is this huge community that’s been influenced by this amazing person that I was so influenced by and we get to carry it on. That is so unique.”
