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Palmer and the Tigers Miss Being on the Court

Head Coach Kitty Palmer and the athletes on the Hand girls’ tennis team are remaining optimistic that there will still be some type of season in 2020. However, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has the Tigers questioning whether that will be realistically possible.

Palmer started coaching tennis at Hand in 2001 and is also head coach of the field hockey team at Guilford High School. Palmer and the Tigers saw an abundance of success on the court by achieving a perfect record of 24-0 last spring, while winning SCC and Class M state championships.

Seniors Anne Barrett, Anna Lang, and Sam Riordan are Hand’s three returning seniors. Riordan is the team’s No. 1 singles player and has posted a record of 64-5 through her first three years of high school. No. 3 singles player Barrett has gone 68-1 during the past three seasons. Lang played No. 1 doubles last year and owns a career record of 68-0.

Coach Palmer knows it’s possible that all three of these seniors have played their final matches on the Tigers’ court. And that’s a thought that makes her feel quite sad.

“I don’t see us coming back if there’s no State Tournament, and my heart really goes out for these seniors. These kids have given so much to this team during their time here, and it’s tough that they didn’t get to go out there for their final season and put on one final show,” Palmer said. “Even if there is a season, I find it hard to believe that the kids will have much motivation to play in exhibition games. Maybe because it will be something to do, they would be happy to do it, but I think it would be a major change for all of us.”

On the heels of a historic season, Coach Palmer had huge expectations for Hand entering the 2020 campaign. The Tigers only graduated one senior from last year’s team and were slated to return a wealth of experience in both their singles and doubles lineups.

“We had one senior last year that played on the team, so I know we were going to have another strong season,” Palmer said. “Now, if we don’t have a season this year, it’s going to be tough to wait another year and rebuild from there. We still have a lot of good players in the program, including Sam’s sister Lindsay, who plays No. 2 singles. But a lot of these girls are going to be thrown into the fire next year. The good thing is they all have experience. It’s just going to be an adjustment period.”

Palmer added that she “can’t say enough” about her three current seniors for being such a huge part of the program since they were freshmen. Palmer said that some of her favorite moments as Hand’s coach came while watching those athletes take on Amity with the SCC title on the line.

“There’s been a heck of a lot of great memories with these girls, because there’s been so few losses,” said Palmer. “This is a trio that’s won a league title all three years they’ve been together. Our SCC finals matches against Amity are always so close.”

Palmer thinks that Lindsay Riordan, a sophomore, will step into the No. 1 singles position for Hand after her sister Sam graduates.

“Lindsay will be a leader for us, for sure. She went 23-1 last season, and she’s got a lot of talent,” Palmer said. “I’m excited to see how she develops, but at the same time disappointed that she is going to be losing a year due to this virus.”

With people under quarantine, Palmer hasn’t been able to work much at her day job as tennis pro at the Madison Racquet & Swim Club. So, she’s turning to golf as much as she can.

“I’ve been golfing at Madison Country Club a lot lately. The weather hasn’t been great, but there really hasn’t been much else to do, so I’m trying to make the most of my days,” Palmer said. “Not being able to be around the girls has been tough. They keep you young and challenge you to better yourself every day.”

Even with the season in limbo, Coach Palmer has tried to keep in contact with her athletes.

“I’m in touch with them every now and again,” said Palmer. “We are waiting to hear what the final result is going to be. I’m not sure they’re going back to school period.”

If this does turn out to be the final hurrah for the Tigers’ three seniors, Coach Palmer said that she is going to miss them tremendously.

“I developed a close bond with all three of them, and it just really stinks that this happened during their senior year,” said Palmer. “The timing of it all is unfortunate, but we just want to make sure everyone stays healthy.”