Chris Booth will lead GFS tennis in fall 2020

Posted 9/3/20

Chris Booth of Mount Airy will be the interim head coach of the Germantown Friends School (GFS) Varsity Girls Tennis program this fall. He is stepping in for Coach Justin Gilmore (GFS ‘96), who …

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Chris Booth will lead GFS tennis in fall 2020

Posted

Chris Booth of Mount Airy will be the interim head coach of the Germantown Friends School (GFS) Varsity Girls Tennis program this fall. He is stepping in for Coach Justin Gilmore (GFS ‘96), who is on leave.

Booth joined the GFS tennis coaching staff in 2013 as assistant varsity coach. During his tenure with GFS, he has helped coach the girls team to two Friends Schools League (FSL) championships (2013, 2014), and the boys team to three championships (2017, 2018, 2019).

Booth grew up in the Philadelphia area and has been playing tennis since he was six years old. He graduated from Morehouse College and was co-captain of their tennis team, where he played in USTA and ATA tournaments. At Morehouse, he led the team to three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship victories.  

Returning to Philadelphia after college, Booth obtained his US Professional Tennis (PTR) certification. He has taught tennis at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education in East Falls, as well as Gulph Mills Racquet Club, Garden Fair and the Upper Dublin Racquet Club. Booth served as interim head coach of the Haverford College women’s tennis team in 2014, when they finished second in their division, their best season in 21 years.

"Coach Booth has an incredible amount of coaching experience. I am excited for him to continue to guide and inspire our athletes in this new capacity," said Athletic Director Katie Bergstrom Mark. “Coach Booth consistently gives valuable counsel on and off the court.I appreciate his straightforward approach to coaching. He is able to clearly communicate expectations, while at the same time developing trust between the athletes and coaches. He really cares about each athlete’s development, no matter their level.”

A parent of GFS alumna Johanna Booth ‘15, Booth helped train and coach her to 184 in the US girls 18s, according to Tennisrecruiting.net. During her GFS career, Johanna captained the team and was named All-League three times, winning the FSL singles championship in her Freshman, Junior and Senior years. She went on to play tennis at Amherst College (D III).

Booth is a board member and second-generation member of the Woodford Tennis Club, the oldest African American tennis club in Pennsylvania, and a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). He teaches mathematics in the Philadelphia Public School System.