Sarah Corse has been in the education field for over 40 years. The last 17 years of her career have been with Pampa ISD, notably bringing the tennis program to the great bounds it’s made. Corse is a graduate of Angelo State, born and raised in Fort Stockton. After graduating college, Corse worked in Lubbock, where she’d meet her husband, Eddie of 41 years, the pair meet from mutual friends. Corse has been in education for 42 years, in that time serving as a coach for 32 years. Working in Lubbock, in elementary P.E. for one year. After leaving Lubbock, Corse went to Big Spring where she taught for 10 years and coached for 14 years, spending 24 years working for the Big Spring school district. In 2006, Corse moved to Pampa working at the junior high for a year before taking a job with the high school the following year. From an early age, Corse knew she wanted to be a coach.
“I’d always wanted to be a coach, from the time I was in college,” Corse said. “I played tennis in high school and knew I loved the sport and wanted to work with kids in tennis. It’s a job that you have to have a passion and calling for.”
In her 17 years in Pampa, Corse has grown the tennis program and advanced to levels it hadn’t yet done. But the special parts aren’t just the highlights.
“The highs are when you get to go to state, but everything about it is memorable,” Corse said. “We’ve been to state five times. District champs, area champs, and regional quarters champs, we’ve got to see it all. State is always what you aim for but we’ve always had fantastic kids and players that have made every year memorable for me.”
17 years at the helm of the tennis program bring more memories than you can name, Corse notes that you can’t pin it down to just one.
“I can’t pick one. Every team is different and each team has special memories that you hold in your heart,” Corse said. “Some years are higher than others, but there are always pieces of the years that I hold in my heart.”
In 2011, Corse coached the first duos to state in Pampa’s history. Then to finals in 2018 with another duo, making another notable accomplishment of the program under the direction of Coach Corse. Over her time coaching, seeing the highs and lows of the game, Corse has wisdom on and off the court.
“If you love a sport, follow your heart. It’s a challenging career to be a coach because you want the best,” Corse said. “Every kid is different, but for me, it’s a calling to be a coach. I have spent 42 years doing this because I feel the calling to do so. As a coach, you get a new generation every year and you learn with them, but as a coach, you have to stay on top of the game and be the best you can be for the program that you’re leading.”
Once a coach, always a coach. It’s common that even after you graduate or leave the leadership of a coach, you still refer to them as a coach. A title that is earned fairly easily, but never lost.
“It’s a pretty cool feeling. Going places and hearing someone call you coach or call out to you, it reminds you that you’ve made an impact,” Corse said. “Coaches have that extra boost that kids remember forever, so it’s an honor to still be a coach to people that have left and gone on with their lives.”
Corse is a mother of two and a grandmother of two, her biggest reason for deciding to hang up the hat. Her grandkids are in Seminole, and active in sports that will become her new focus in her retirement life.
“It’s hard to make the decision to walk away, you know you’re going to leave some behind,” Corse said. “I went back and forth with ‘one more year’ for the last couple of years. I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t leave these amazing kids behind, but the next coach will have amazing kids which will be a blessing. I finally decided last summer, with my grandkids getting older and missing things they do, I knew it was time. It wasn’t easy to do, but it was time. I will still keep up with all sports and kids from Pampa, I’ve enjoyed every part of being here. I know there are going to be amazing things for Pampa High School.”
Throughout her years, Corse credits the booster club and administration for helping her be able to do what she’s done.
“We’ve always had the support of the community and the booster clubs, as well as administration,” Corse said. “When you get great support like that, it makes your job so much easier.”
The successor has not yet been named, but Corse has notable assistant coaches over the years, from Coach Polasek to her current, David Moore, who was a former player. From 2006 to 2023, it is no doubt that Coach Corse has made her mark on Pampa and left an amazing program with more to grow behind. Speaking on behalf of The Pampa News and the community of Pampa, thank you is the simplest way to show support for all she’s done in her time here. We wish Coach Sarah Corse a wonderful and fulfilling retirement. Once a coach, always a coach.
