Weather halts battle for STC bragging rights
It would not be entirely accurate to call what happened Tuesday afternoon at St. Charles North a "rainout."
Rainouts are defined by certain particular characteristics, most notably - rain, which there was none of, not a drop. But despite that, the girls tennis match between St. Charles East and St. Charles North wound up being postponed.
It must have felt like an extended warmup for members of both teams. A short while after the match had begun the threatening skies appeared in the distance, and the coaches wisely chose to err on the side of safety.
A swatch of brutal late afternoon weather that sliced through parts of Aurora, North Aurora and Batavia, and peppered southern Kane County with lightening, toyed with St. Charles, but didn't get there.
By the time it was determined that the threat had passed it was too late to guarantee that a majority of the matches could be completed before dusk. So technically, the match was postponed due to eventual darkness.
"The girls will be a little disappointed," St. Charles East coach Sena Drawer said. "This is a match they always look forward to, plus it's our first conference match of the year."
When the two teams do resume play, whether it's in two weeks or later in the season, the marquee match between seniors Annemijn Koenen (St. Charles North) and Stefanie Youngberg (St. Charles East) at No. 1 singles will begin exactly where it left off, as will all of the other matches.
"Because we started the match, the lineups have to remain the same no matter when we resume," St. Charles North coach Tim Matacio said.
That could prove intriguing if the contest in not rescheduled until later in the season. Both teams play schedules that are somewhat front loaded, and finding a mutually open date could be a challenge. Several were discussed, but a final decision could not be made at the courts.
"By the time we have a chance to finish it our regular lineup could have changed, and the same could be true for (St. Charles North)," Drawer said.
Considering the sort of dangerous weather we've seen over the past few years, in the end, it was a smart move to send the kids inside as a precaution, even if the results, or lack there of, may have been a bit frustrating for the players and coaches.
"I'm always in favor of playing," Drawer said. "But this is what you have to do sometimes, and it was the right thing."