5 minute read
Quarantine Crew
Quarantine Crew
By Jamie Hansen
As the country realized COVID-19 was turning into a true pandemic and our lives would be hugely impacted, Tami Murphy had stressors coming at her from every which way: navigating virtual teaching, the fear of what could happen to a daughter working in healthcare, another navigating a pregnancy and the pandemic itself. Those are just a few of the many.
So in the midst of a terrible pandemic, Murphy and a group of four other women banded together to not only improve as tennis players, but build a bond through a sport they love.
It began as the Quarantine Quad but the group added another woman and the Quarantine Crew was born. The start of those days in early spring was playing with a core group of people and being extremely cautious.
“In those early days, I played with the same ladies over and over again. We used Lysol spray on the balls, clorox wipes on our racquet handles, and Eucalyptus Spearmint stress relieving hand sanitizer on our hands every time we changed sides,” Murphy said.
Murphy (back right) and members of her first-ever tennis team after the last match of the season.
Murphy said tennis was the only constant in a time with so many unknowns - how her teaching career would ultimately be impacted, her daughter’s health, her own health. Tennis has always been a source of motivation and a way to relieve stress.
With so many unknowns with the pandemic, early on was particularly difficult. Murphy lives with her 25-yearold daughter who would come home from her job in healthcare and have to strip in the garage and go straight to the shower. Murphy’s teaching career was turned upside down, as well - going from teaching in a classroom for two decades to virtual instruction came with worry and a steep learning curve.
Now tennis - and that source of stress relief - is as important as ever. Entering her 21st year of teaching, Murphy finds herself teaching entirely virtually. Turns out, she has a knack for it.
“When the school closure happened back in March 2020, I was literally losing my mind. I had to relearn how to teach,” Murphy said. “Now, the expectations are continually shifting and the bar sliding, so the stress never eases it seems.”
Thank goodness for the Quarantine Crew. Murphy said each has their own strength on the tennis court. Additionally, the fun of being around a strong group of women cannot be unmatched - a group of women around the same age and struggling with the same issues in parenthood and navigating working from home or life now without work. Murphy noted there were too many good times to mention them all, but a few live with her always.
During the warmer months, the crew met mainly at a court in a rural area where at times the wind was so strong they could hardly get the ball over the net. Speaking of nets, the crew wanted to ensure everyone could play on those courts, so they teamed up and purchased net straps to make all the courts playable.
And perhaps the most inspiring memory - a rainbow appeared one day. Hopefully that rainbow signified a light at the end of a strange year. It’s a picture a member of the crew gave Murphy in puzzle form for her birthday.
In addition to the priceless memories, the tennis is just plain good. Murphy said all five women bring something different to the game.
“They were awesome because we all had different strengths. Lorisa is so tall and fierce at the net. She had a bullet serve. We all learned how to return it most of the time. Lori had so much spin and slice plus the most experience about how to move about the court in doubles. We all learned how to move as a unit because of her. Steph was our lefty, so she helped us all to learn how to hit the T on our serve. Leslie had the best and most powerful groundstrokes in our group. We all learned how to take the ball earlier to avoid that high bounce from her.”
And what does Murphy bring to the group?
Murphy is carrying what she learned from the crew into her local USTA Leagues. She is active in several area leagues - even captaining a team over the summer. The crew ended up making a pretty fierce league team. Because of the camaraderie of the crew, three of the women ended up playing in USTA Leagues for the first time.
Murphy particularly enjoys playing in flex league offerings.
“I think my favorite league is the flex league because it is less focused on ratings. I’m a 3.5 most days in doubles, but I am barely a 3.0 in singles.The flex league allows for more options of play,” Murphy said.
Tennis has been a staple for Murphy in her life, not only during the pandemic, but in her journey towards fitness. Improving her movement on the court has been a huge motivator in her goals.
Tami Murphy, Kim Switzer, Juan Cabrera and Leslie Echols after playing for fun.
She picked up her racquet again after a long absence in 2017 on the heels of a house fire where she lost everything - and was also struggling with her weight. Murphy found fitness in tennis, but also solace.
“I played and played, taking classes and scheduling pick up games until I could move better. I’m now down to 205, which is still overweight, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “My doubles partners no longer have to cover 70 percent of the court when they are my partner. I can cover my own territory, and sometimes I’m even the one that runs down the ball. People have watched me change physically and have complimented me along the way. It is motivating.”
Times remain tough. Another daughter is expecting her first child in April - Murphy’s first grandchild. Because of the pandemic, the pair can’t see each other often - it’s too risky. But with tennis taking center stage in dealing with all the pandemic and life has thrown Murphy’s way, she knows she can get through it all.
