Head Coach
Assistant Coaches
About Our Head Coach
Coach Thirkell has been with the Discovery Canyon Boys Tennis Team since 2010. He played NCAA tennis for Colorado College, rising to be their number one player. He has worked as a tennis instructor for both Air Force Tennis and Nike Tennis. Coach Thirkell is familiar with Colorado high school tennis, having played singles and doubles at Lewis-Palmer High School, where he helped his team win Regional Championships and qualify for State. He believes tennis is a lifelong game and works to build student-athletes’ love of the sport. Coach Thirkell also teaches mathematics at Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School and coaches the Intramural Tennis program there.
History and Philosophy
In 2020, the DCC Boys Tennis Team was the largest yet, with 30 players. Both varsity and JV teams have continued to improve and made their presence known in the Pikes Peak Region. Since 2019, the Boys Thunder Tennis team has won 14 of its last 16 head-to-head matches. The team won the 2020 Air Academy tournament. Over the last two years, the Boys Tennis Team finished second at Regionals and qualified 19 players for State. At the State Tournament, 11 players advanced to the quarterfinals. The Thunder have consistently finished in the top ten at State.
DCC Tennis supports a one-team philosophy where every position has merit. All student-athletes have the opportunity to build skills that enable success on and off the court. The boys tennis season runs from August through October. Varsity consists of three singles players and four doubles teams. Remaining players compete on the JV doubles teams.
“A good team around you with spirit, motivation, and belief is the key to achieving big things.”
Sabine Lisicki, Pro Tennis Player
