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07/13/2017 12:00 AMKeeping a level head can take a player far on the tennis court. Rosie Rothman grew more and more calm throughout her tenure with the Rams, and she used her cool hand to bring the heat during her final season.
Rosie is a recent Old Saybrook High School graduate who was a captain for the Rams’ girls’ tennis team as a senior. Rosie started with the sport in elementary school after playing at the Old Saybrook Racquet Club, where her mother Ruthanne Rothman taught lessons.
In her final foray at the high school this spring, Rosie, the Rams’ No. 1 singles player, earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors by reaching the semifinals of the league’s 1-2 singles draw. She also qualified for the State Open Championship en route to a record of 18-5, while helping Old Saybrook claim 19 victories as a squad.
“In singles, it’s just you out there, and you have to focus and figure out how to win a match alone. You’re alone with your thoughts,” says Rosie, who was also named a CIAC Scholar Athlete this year. “I finally figured out how to settle down. When I was an underclassman, it was hard to find my rhythm. This season, I was able to pull out wins that I maybe wouldn’t have when I was younger, because I would’ve lost my focus.”
Rosie won her qualifying round match at the State Open before dropping her next contest. Rosie was honored to compete among Connecticut’s elite and feels that playing on the state’s biggest stage was a prize in and of itself.
“It was really cool to qualify for the Open,” Rosie says. “It was really incredible to see all those great players and play amongst them. It was just great to be there with all of them.”
A tennis match is more of a marathon than a sprint, and so Rosie always took the good with the bad, knowing she was never out of it until the final point was recorded.
“You have to be calm, because a lot of people let their emotions take over, and that’s where they lose focus. You have to stay positive, because you can pull out a win anywhere. You have to play it point by point and figure out how you will win that one point,” says Rosie. “I’ve been able to become more consistent over time by practicing and staying collected. I’ve also improved on assessing what I need to change in a match.”
The 2017 campaign marked Rosie’s second season as one of Old Saybrook’s captains. Rosie always made it a priority to include everyone in the Rams’ activities, while constantly encouraging her teammates during their contests.
“It was fun to lead the team, and I think how well the team performs comes from their attitude towards the game,” she says. “When you have people supporting you, it makes so much of a difference.”
Rosie’s mother Ruthanne was also her head coach at Old Saybrook. Ruthanne credits Rosie for her ability to keep cool under pressure, as well as the way she helped prepare her fellow Rams for battle.
“Rosie is a very thoughtful and methodical tennis player. She does an incredible job of focusing on her opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. She then methodically works to attack those weaknesses. She is very even-tempered, so you rarely see her display her emotions on the court. Instead, she stays very calm throughout her matches, whether she’s winning or losing,” Coach Rothman says. “As a captain, she has to be a leader on the court and during practices. She also had extra responsibilities during our practices, and we have 25 girls on the team. She led the girls in their dynamic warm-up before each practice and match.”
Rosie now moves on to the University of Southern California, where she will study engineering, while keeping tennis as a steady presence in her life. Rosie says that she will never forget all the great people she got to compete alongside as a tennis player in Old Saybrook.
“I’m hoping to play club [or] intramural tennis next year, because the game of tennis has been a big part of my life. I also want to continue to play throughout my adult life,” says Rosie, who thanks her mother and her fellow captains, Erin Stangel and Isabella Luciani. “All three captains were in our singles lineup, and it was nice to see Erin and Isabella make the Shoreline finals in the No. 3-4 singles tournament. This team this year had a special bond with each other.”