Loss of Judy Elder mourned

The area tennis community was saddened recently with the news that longtime Crystal Lake Central High School coach Judy Elder passed away after a bout with acute leukemia.

Elder was the only girls coach Central ever had. She started the girls program in 1973 and had been the boys coach at the school since 1988. Her girls teams had 280 wins heading into the 2008 season, according to Illinois High School Association records.

"It's a shock," said veteran Cary-Grove coach Bud Lachel. "Her, Don (Crystal Lake South coach Nead) and I have battled back and forth competitively for 30-some years. Everything happened with her within three weeks. It's a big shock. Judy was 61. She was still a young woman. She did a nice job with her kids. We had our competitive battles, but she was very popular with a lot of people and a lot of kids."

Nead, in his 41st season as a boys and/or girls coach between old Crystal Lake and South high schools, was also taken aback by the news.

"It's a tragedy," said Nead. "She was well-liked and was a heck of a coach. She had one of the best records in the area."

Nead's daughter, Julie, played for Elder at Central.

"My daughter loved her," said Nead. "She will be missed. She's the only coach Central has ever had."

Like Lachel, Nead battled Elder's teams throughout the years.

"We were always battling, but when it was all done, we were friends. We all shook hands and were close friends."

Elder's daughter, Jessica, is now the head boys and girls tennis coach at Prairie Ridge.

Elder's teams finished second in the state in the 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 school years (when the school was known as Crystal Lake Community High School prior to the split into Central and South). Crystal Lake took fourth in the state during the 75-76 school year. Her Central teams won 4 sectional titles (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995).