Dean Clower is well aware of how fortunate he is to have Julie Gonzalez as his assistant coach.
Not only did his first-year assistant serve as a volunteer in his Cowgirl tennis program for three years—who volunteers for three years!--but she is earning her Doctorate degree in December, she speaks five languages and she's a heck of a teacher!
"Julie is awesome," raves Clower. "I really can't say enough about her. Work ethic, organization and her ability to teach are all amazing, and she gets better as a coach every day because she cares so much. She loves the sport, she loves being in Laramie and she loves our players. She was so valuable as a volunteer that when the position came open, she was the easy choice. By the way, on top of everything else, she's a freak athlete!"
Clower, along with Julie and graduate assistant Mihaelda Kaftanova, direct Wyoming's tennis program. Their Cowgirls host a huge weekend of Mountain West action beginning tomorrow (Friday) at the UW Tennis Center riding a four-match winning streak. Their 4-0 league mark places them at the top of the MW standings as they host the two teams right behind them, UNLV tomorrow and San Diego State (Senior Day) on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 10 a.m.
Gonzalez is from Mechelen, Belgium, an historic city of some 87,000 people located between Brussels and Antwerp in northern Belgium, the Flemish region of the country. It is one of Flanders' most prominent cities of historical art. Most everyone in Belgium speak one of three languages, French, German or Dutch. Julie and the folks in her region speak Dutch.
But she does speak five languages!
Julie comes from a rich tennis background. Both of her parents, Kathleen, and Alfonso, were tennis pros. Her father still operates a tennis academy.
But, ironically, basketball brought her to the United States.
In other countries, universities do not sponsor athletics. So athletes must compete in club programs while they attend college. Many are competing in the U.S., so they may compete AND go to school. That's why Gonzalez came to this country.
She was recruited to the University of Mount Olive (North Carolina) to play basketball, and produced an outstanding career until an early-season injury during her senior year cut that career short. While she was unable to play basketball, she still wanted to compete, and brought out the tennis racket. She competed for the tennis team in the spring of her last year.
Her connection with Clower came while she was pursuing her master's degree in exercise science at West Alabama (Livingston). While there she played tennis for one semester and was a graduate assistant for Head Coach Jeff Beaman. Clower played for Beaman at Barton Community College (Great Bend, Kans.), and they became good friends. It was Beaman who gave the Cowgirl coach a recommendation for Julie.
"Coach Beaman helped me get to Wyoming," Julie says, "and I'll always be grateful to him. We still have them on our schedule each year, and I enjoy seeing him."
Gonzalez should earn her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UW by next December. She is currently writing her dissertation on the barriers female tennis coaches face for entry into Division I. "It's difficult for a female to get into the profession," she says, "and it's been an interesting project. Being a head coach is a long-term goal of mine."
One of the most interesting aspects of this remarkable young woman is that prior to her being named the Cowgirls' assistant, she volunteered for the program for three years! Usually volunteers are one-and-done.
"My experience here as a volunteer was so special," she says. "From the time I came, it felt like home up here. I wanted to stay, I wanted to be a part of it. I worked hard to find ways that would allow me to stay. I have always wanted to coach, so I went back to school while helping the program, and gave tennis lessons to people in the community. That helped pay the rent. This community is awesome, and the support for tennis is amazing. The people are so friendly and open, I love it here.
"Our tennis community has to be the best in the country," Julie continues. "Teams we play here are amazed at our support, and it's a huge advantage for us. We played pool matches at Fort Collins last week and our tennis community was there to support us. They made signs, had pom-poms and were so much fun. I can't imagine anyone in the country has better fans than we do."
A huge reason Julie stayed was Clower himself. "He and his family have been so good to me," she says. "Dean has a huge heart, and I can't say enough about what he has meant to me and the direction I want to go. Having him teach me as I grow as a coach is what I needed. As a head coach he has so much going on, yet he takes time to help me prepare for my future as a coach. He and his family are family to me. He genuinely cares about our girls, our community and me.
"I hope I can be to someone in their career like he has been to me in mine. I couldn't have found a better mentor."
Gonzalez is not surprised by the Cowgirls' success to this point. "I'm not sure in January I would have thought we'd be undefeated in conference play at this point. This team is very special. We had some ups and downs early, but they stayed the course and kept fighting. We've beaten some nationally-ranked teams in our conference so far, and need to keep that momentum going this week.
"I think something clicked when we were playing at Nebraska (late February). It was during that match that coach and I could see them getting better and fighting for each other. They have become much more disciplined in their approach. They've been a great group to be around."
Julie's mother has been to Laramie, but her father has not. Both mom and dad are coming on May 7, which she is very excited for, obviously. "I'm really looking forward to having them come out in May, and seeing why I love it so much here" she says.
Her parents are going to find out that Laramie and the Cowgirl tennis community feels the same way about their daughter!
