Stephen Parker, coach of Cabrini’s men’s tennis team, has a double life of sorts. He spends his days on the off season like any other coach, “busting (his) butt to recruit” for the next season. What people may not know is that he’s also a singer/songwriter/guitarist who has recorded albums, toured regionally, and opened up for musicians such as Leon Russell.
He’s been passionate about music since he was an English major in college. He was very interested in poetry and didn’t want to go into teaching or law, so he knew he had to come up with another plan.
“I really decided that I wanted to write my own material, so as my senior year started to close in on me and the real world started to look up, I actually decided right then that what I needed to do was find a way to play an instrument so that I could write,” Parker said. “So I bought a guitar my senior year in college and I went to Boulder, Colo. for almost a year. Honestly, that began the whole thing. I just started to chase songs.”
Considering how passionate he is about music, you would expect to find memorabilia when walking into Parker’s office. However, just based on his office, you couldn’t differentiate Parker from any other coach. It’s bare except for a handmade frame, a thank you gift from last year’s team.
As much as he loves music, Parker also loves coaching. He decided to interview for the job at Cabrini when his best friend’s son said a colleague, who happened to be Cabrini’s athletic director’s wife, had mentioned that Cabrini was looking for a new tennis coach. Parker’s job at Cabrini was the first time he’d ever coached tennis, but he believes it was meant to happen that way.
“I am extremely pleased with the progress of the Cabrini Men’s Tennis program in the 3 years I have been here,” Stephen said. “A tradition of excellence can only exist when there is a commitment to excellence, that commitment can only occur if there is a foundation of trust, and I feel like we have turned that corner and re-established a dialogue with the athletic department and hopefully with the campus as a whole.”
“I came in and interviewed and next thing you know, I’ve got a job with two weeks to start so I really came in on the fly,” Parker said. “I don’t think it’s luck, I never believe that. I always believe that it’s just kind of meant to be. Things happen for a reason so for me it was a great opportunity to come in and be a college coach.”
In the past three years since he’s been working at Cabrini, Parker has been balancing his life as a coach with his life as a performer.
“My favorite part of coaching tennis has to be the teaching aspect – I love watching players learn to construct points and reach their potential,” Stephen said. “I love to try and guide individuals to develop respect and chemistry together while they continue their journey to excel on a personal level.”
This often means that he often finds himself focusing more on the athletic aspects of his life than the music aspects.
“The upside to that is that I didn’t rush anything. I got it exactly how I wanted and worked with the people I wanted to work with and was never in a hurry,” Parker said. “As a result it’s just out there. It (his most recent CD, “One Step Closer to the Blue”) was released I know it’s out there somewhere and I just gotta hope it gets to somewhere that’ll allow me to keep going on a bigger level.”
Parker loves being able to pursue both of his passions: his longterm one of music, and his newfound one of being a college coach. The only reason he would ever stop coaching, he says, is if he were asked to go on tour. For now, he admires the dedication of the students at Cabrini, which he can apply to his own work.
“It’s a big commitment to do stuff outside of your studies so I have a real appreciation for all these people who come out and play or do extracurricular stuff, cause in the long run it makes you a much bigger person,” Parker said.
Parker knows that being a musician is difficult, as doing what you love often can be. However, he doesn’t let that stop him from trying, and encourages others to do the same.
“There’s a lot of better places to go. It’s hard, but if you’re doing it for the reasons that I wanted to do it, then it doesn’t matter.”
