The NSWTA Anne Geier Cup-Daniel Island South Carolina (the calm before the storm)

Lizl Kotz, Kristin Kepler, Katrina Barnes and Marissa Gildemeister women’s 40’s doubles

The NSWTA Anne Geier Cup took place at the beautiful Daniel Island Club mid-March in Charleston SC. Players traveled from all over the Southeast and as far away as Washington state to receive a pineapple welcome. Warmth, celebration and hospitality are all words I would use to describe this gem of a tournament. Players received boiled peanuts in their player bags and I am pretty sure the tournament committee chair, Cindy Babb, considered throwing in a pineapple as well. As a tournament participant myself, I remember a tranquility surrounding the event. The typical spring wind laid down to rest, the clay courts were in pristine condition, the food prepared by the club exceptional. Ben Cook, the tournament director and a seasoned player himself, was on-site ensuring a positive experience for all.

As the draws advanced, the World Health Organization declared the Corona virus a global pandemic. The old Sailor’s adage, the calm before the storm, was playing out right in front of our eyes. As athletes, we were silently recognizing and enjoying our last moments of certainty realizing the uncertainty that lay ahead. Meg Farrelly, the tournament referee, did an excellent job speeding up play in order to complete the tournament one day early as per USTA guidelines. Some players voluntarily played out the finals with the following results:

40’s singles: Lizl Kotz

40’s doubles: Katrina Barnes/Marissa Gildemeister

50’s singles: Susan Love

50’s doubles: Susan Love/Deanna Vroman

60’s singles: Anne Frautschi

60’s doubles: Anne Frautschi/Aimee Norris

70’s singles: Brenda Carter

70’s doubles: Cindy Babb/Suzie Peiffer

80’s singles: Donna Fales

This time will pass, and before we know it our calendars will yet again be filled with tournaments and league play to look forward to. For now though, time seems to be standing still and we’ve been given no choice but to live in the present moment.