Arlo Elkins remembered for dedication to players in 29 seasons at USC
For former South Carolina women’s tennis player Christyn Lucas Cloninger, longtime USC women’s tennis coach Arlo Elkins made her feel special from the time he started recruiting her.
“I was coming down to make a decision between South Carolina and Tennessee,” Cloninger said. “He was on the phone, saying, ‘Come on, Lucas. Just say yes, Lucas,’ because he wanted me to commit to South Carolina. I was like, ‘All right.’”
Though Elkins died in his sleep Saturday night at the age of 62, his memory is still very alive for Cloninger as well as his other current and former players, family and colleagues, just as he was a lively person to be around during his life. A memorial service for Elkins will be held Wednesday, April 4, at 3 p.m. in The Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium. Elkins is survived by his wife, Tara; three children, Alyssa, Elliott and Kelsey; and grandchildren Jayne Mac, Asher, Eloise, Sadie and Charlie.
As a coach for the Gamecocks, Elkins’ accomplishments in 29 seasons can cover the new courts at the Carolina Tennis Center. He had a career-record of 431-290 with 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, 17 of which were consecutive. In February, Elkins stepped away from the day-to-day activities of the program for health-related issues.
The South Carolina women’s tennis program boasts one of the athletics department’s top team grade point averages, frequently at or above 3.4. The women’s tennis team led all Gamecock squads for the highest semester GPA in Spring 2011 with a 3.576 mark. With Elkins heading the program, 41 USC women’s tennis players earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition 98 times.
Elkins was the first head coach at South Carolina in any sport to win SEC Coach of the Year. He was named the 1994 and 1996 ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year, and in December 2003, he was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Association Hall of Fame.
But for those who spent nearly every day with him, it was his upbeat personality, his dedication to coaching, his passion for his players and his support for those around him that will ultimately define his legacy as a Gamecock.
Gira Schofield, who played for Elkins from 2005 until 2009, recalls Elkins’ dedication showing even after his health began to deteriorate. He was in a wheelchair the semester after she graduated, but Schofield said he still came to practice, even after rehab sessions.
“No matter what happened to him, he was determined to be there every day,” Schofield said. “It’s just great determination to see from someone and definitely learn from someone.”
Cloninger called Elkins’ long tenure an inspiration in that it’s made her consider coaching if the situation was right. After choosing to come to USC, Cloninger was Elkins’ daughter’s roommate. She was one of the first to hear the news of his passing and then called other former players of his, many of whom will be traveling internationally to attend his funeral.
She saw Elkins’ support in the little things that he would do. For Cloninger, he was a “teddy bear.” If a player had a big test to study for, Elkins would be understanding and allow her to miss a part of practice on occasion. At the same time, in training his players, he was a jokester.
“We’d be playing in team practice and drilling, and he was supposed to be keeping time,” Cloninger said. “He’d always lose track of time. Everyone would be like, ‘Arlo, what’s the deal here? Our arms are about to fall off.’ He’d be like, ‘One more minute! One more minute!’ It was like an ongoing joke.”
Retired USC men’s tennis coach Kent DeMars, who worked alongside Elkins for 26 years and saw him as a brother, admired Elkins’ way with female athletes. DeMars recalled having to coach both men’s and women’s tennis at Southern Illinois and struggling.
“We would talk about coaching women and he would tell me things like, ‘Just don’t be listening to everything. You go your own way and if they’re going to do a little cat fighting, then let them do it. Just don’t hear it,’” DeMars said. “I said, ‘Yeah, that’s probably what I got in trouble with.’ I heard everything and always made a big issue out of it. He just had a very disciplined way, but gentle way.”
DeMars knows that Elkins’ accomplishments on the court will be revered in his passing, as they should, but Elkins’ interactions with others was something that spoke volumes to DeMars. If there was a group of people talking, Elkins was commonly in the middle, DeMars said.
“There’s over 200 staff there and he knew almost everybody,” DeMars said. “We’d walk down the hall and he’d know somebody’s first name. I really didn’t even know. I had to keep being reminded. He really enjoyed the staff and making jokes with them.”
While Cloninger didn’t get to know Elkins until she played for him, she said he made her a priority when he was still trying to convince her to become a Gamecock. One of her fondest memories is when in her sophomore year, she clinched five matches. He would sit on the bench watching and when she would win, he’d hit his palms on the bench and stand up in joy to give her a hug. Another fond memory is how he’d greet her by her nickname everyday at the courts.
“I can still hear him say ‘Lucas’ with the goofy giggle in his voice,” Cloninger said. “I keep replaying that in my head so I’ll never forget.”