As the rest of the UCLA women’s tennis team was stretched in a circle after practice, two players exchanged quiet but intense rallies in the background.
The players appeared to be equally matched in agility and skill, but one of the players stuck out from the rest of the uniformed team.
At 27-years-old, volunteer assistant coach Laura Gordon walks the line between playing and coaching.
“She’s someone who definitely relates to the team, relates to the girls better than we do – Rance and myself. She’s able to train with them and play against them, which makes practices that much better. She can always fill in if someone gets hurt,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster.
Having risen through the ranks of UCLA tennis under Sampras Webster from 2002-2006, Gordon said she knows what it’s like to be in those players’ shoes.
Gordon started as a walk-on in 2002, and said she might have quit before the end had it not been for her close relationship with Sampras Webster.
But with her coaches’ support, she ultimately became the No. 1 singles and doubles player for the Bruins, attaining All-American, All-Pac-10 and All-Academic Pac-10 honors and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2006 NCAA Doubles Championship.
Her recent experience as a UCLA player, combined with Gordon’s self-described childlike attitude, gives her a unique perspective and the ability to take a more hands-on role than most coaches.
“Laura’s still a great player,” Sampras Webster said. “She can still play. She can probably beat some of the girls on our team.”
Part of what helps Gordon fit so well into UCLA’s team is the diversity of personalities on the coaching staff.
“I know (Sampras Webster) pretty well and how she works, so I can help the current players kind of decipher what she’s thinking. She’s a quiet-but- poised kind of coach.” Gordon said, pausing to laugh before continuing. “I’m the exact opposite.”
Players said Gordon’s lighthearted attitude is particularly welcome in challenging circumstances.
When senior Pamela Montez was injured in the fall, for example, Gordon was able to spend time outside of practice – often at 6:30 a.m. – helping Montez train.
“In the past it was really difficult, when you couldn’t find a teammate who could hit with you or just seeking out someone whose schedule is the same as yours. But with Laura, it makes it a lot easier so there are no excuses why you can’t practice,” Montez said.
Although Gordon retains a childlike attitude, her experience and coaching skills have landed her several respectable coaching positions.
After her playing career, she served as a full-time assistant coach for Fresno State and then Harvard. But for Gordon, it seems all roads lead back to Westwood.
“I definitely loved coaching and I liked being there,” she said of her other experiences. “But my passion has always been UCLA, and it definitely makes coaching a lot more fun to be a Bruin.”
Both Gordon and Sampras Webster acknowledge that her position with the Bruins probably isn’t permanent, but neither is rushing to change the mutually beneficial situation.
Gordon said she has particularly enjoyed refining her coaching skills under the tutelage of Sampras Webster.
“She could go anywhere,” Sampras Webster said. “There are so many programs that I’m sure would love to have her. But she knows what she wants. She loves UCLA.”