Devin Bradshaw is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cesar Chavez High School for AZPreps365.com.

When one comes across Chavez girls’ tennis head coach Colleen Walsh, they would probably assume she was a fan. Carefully watching from the bleachers. They can tell her apart only because of the clipboard in front of her, until she speaks. She doesn’t say much, the occasional cheer or word of encouragement is all a person usually hears. But the team responds, the girls feel the support.

“The girls come out and they’re dedicated and hardworking. They enjoy being out there,” Walsh said. “We don’t put a ton of stress on them because I was a D1 athlete and I got burned out many times, where I've wanted to walk away, I think it's the relationship we have with the kids as well.”

That laidback, easy-going mentality emanates through her team. The comradery that they’ve built, it allows them to be free, to express themselves on the court and perform their best. The environment Walsh has created has allowed the Chavez girls’ tennis team to thrive early on in their region starting out the season, 4-1.

Walsh, being a collegiate athlete herself, has received tons of coaching in her life and has been around various teammates that have shaped her coaching style. And she deals with kids all day every day. Of different backgrounds, first, she’s a mother of three. Having to understand children’s individual needs is a skill. To add on she’s a special needs teacher.  She pays close attention to the girls on her squad, closely monitoring their body language, their reactions and how they act.

She understands, as a former student-athlete a lot can be on their plate. She gives the team breaks and rest when necessary. She values their mental health, the same as team success. The joy they play with is further evidence of that.

The girls feel her presence throughout the team. They gravitate to her nurturing and use it to become their best selves in life and on the court.

“She (Walsh) is very caring about us,” Brenda Lara said. “She treats us like her own kids and she’s very confident in all of us.”

“She got us goodie bags,” Gabriella Herrera added holding up her goodie bag with a smile after her win. “She does so many things for us. She’s a coach, she’s a mom, she’s like a mom to us too.”

Don’t take Walsh’s caring, laidback vibe for weakness. Her team knows what she expects, and she holds a tremendous amount of respect. There are no games that Walsh plays, she’s straightforward. The team knows that. She’s built more than just a good tennis team, she’s established a culture that is helping mold these girls into a family. One that cares about each other. One that fights for one another.

In Walsh’s fourth year of coaching, the teams have always been good. They’ve lost only two games in their region since 2018, going a combined 18-2. Junior number 1 tennis player, Lydia Rajan who’s been on the team since her freshman year can feel the difference in this year’s team. Something special.

“I feel this year’s team, in terms of friendships, is closer than last year,” Rajan said. “Last year I felt like it was two separate groups of friends and now we’re just one.

“It's not just tennis, like I’ll go to a (tennis) club, and it feels like we’re just playing and off the court, we don’t talk. But here off the court, we’re all friends. The team brought us together and we just clicked, and we talk to each other all the time.”

That feeling is echoed throughout the team. Jayzel Garcia, a freshman new to the team, cited the family vibes the team gives off as a big reason she joined the team. Garcia never saw herself touching a racket. But this team inspired her to join.

“I love my team. I feel welcomed and it gives me the motivation to keep playing,” Garcia said. “It's just something I've always looked for, and I've found it here. Not just the sport, but the people too. They make it worth it.”

They have goals of another region title, they’ll have tough tests along the way. But, they feel they can do something special. But more than just for themselves, it's for their coach, for their teammates, for Chavez.