The One Thing I Did in Quarantine

I have a pretty short list of the things I actually did in quarantine. I rewatched Game of Thrones. Cleaned my closet twice. Downloaded TikTok and took way too many pictures of my cats. 

But the one thing I really did – and the thing I hope I remember the most – is the Guilford High School girls tennis season. This was my third season as an assistant coach. And just as COVID-19 canceled plans for most people, my tennis team won’t get to hear me deliver this speech in person at our annual year-end banquet. So I hope they find it here on the 205 VIBE.  

Months before the season started, head tennis coach David Woosley and I had conversations about whether we would get to have a season. We felt a lot of anxiety and stress. What if our season is cut short? What would happen if one of our girls got sick? What if one of us got sick?  

I’m still amazed and frankly surprised that we had a pretty normal season. If you dismiss the specific COVID-19 things we did – like douse ourselves in hand sanitizer, compliment each other’s face masks regularly, and host daily temp-checks – it was tennis-as-usual.

We had 35 girls on our team, and enjoyed popsicles and theme practices. We played a lot of Doubles Lob Getter and Defender; we didn’t play enough 21. We had a Guilford-only Blue and White tournament – and Team White, I still owe you a reward for winning. We had an awesome senior night for our hilarious and sweet seniors: Kasey Aucutt, Anja Komazec, Katie Larson, Vivian Leppert, Cleirefre Marquez, Lily Olson and Jocelyn Sally. Kasey Aucutt was named Athlete of the Week for Channel 13WREX and was a featured athlete on MyStateLine.  

The varsity team finished fourth in the NIC-10 Conference and second in the sectional tournament, and the fresh/soph team finished third in the NIC-10 Conference.  

Unfortunately we didn’t have a state tournament this year, which means senior and three-time state qualifier Kasey Aucutt didn’t get to compete at state one last time in the singles tournament. First-time state qualifiers Sara Dennis and Maggie Thomas didn’t get to represent Guilford in the doubles tournament. Girls, I promise I would have gone to the tournament once again to coach you up, cheer for you and grin with pride alongside your parents. 

I was talking several weeks ago with some of the girls about the season coming to an end. Tyler Borgialli said that the one thing she did in quarantine is tennis. She said it pretty matter-of-factly, too; several players shared that same sentiment and agreed they were sad the season was ending.  

To be candid, that brief conversation broke my heart a little. I care about each of you girls so much – not just as players on my team, but as people. I want you to have the best memories of this time in your life. You didn’t get to have prom last year or see your friends graduate. You didn’t have a normal summer break. And this fall, you didn’t have homecoming week, football games or a dance. I can’t predict what the rest of your school year will look like.  

But years from now, when you think about what it was like for you in high school when the world shut down because of a global pandemic, I hope you still remember that all you did in quarantine – what you really did, and what you really remember – is that you did tennis. 

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Cathy Bayer

Cathy Bayer is a communications coordinator for Rockford Public Schools. She is an assistant girls tennis coach at Guilford High School and lives for the days her tennis girls compliment her nails.