A lifelong love match with tennis

While many coaching staffs in Utah prep tennis are deep and diverse, with assistants ranging in age from 19-83, Highland High's staff is perhaps a little more varied than most.

At the top of that ladder, in her third year as an assistant for both the boys and girls tennis teams at Highland, 83-year-old Kathy Rothfels is carrying on her tradition of taking Utah tennis to the next level in any way she can.

Rothfels is considered to be one of the matriarchs of Utah tennis, and she has influenced generations of players in many different ways. She is a member of the Utah Tennis Hall of Fame and has won numerous national titles on the seniors circuit.

In addition, Rothfels has been a tennis pro, a member of the Umpires Association, managed the Salt Lake Swimming and Tennis Club for 10 years, and was even the driving force behind getting tennis courts installed at Dugway Proving Grounds in the early 1960s.

Born in England, Rothfels was born into a golfing family and, wanting to do anything other than golf, started playing tennis on grass courts before immigrating to Canada following World War II. There she met her husband, John, and when he took a job in Utah's west desert at Dugway, they moved there with their five children.

Rothfels' belief that tennis is a skill that will be a reward throughout a lifetime is evident in all her children. Sons Martin (California), Trevor (Washington) and Ian (Utah) are all tennis pros, while other son Nigel went the academic route and teaches at a college in Wisconsin.

"(Nigel) probably plays more recreational tennis than the rest of us, though," Ian Rothfels said with a laugh. "He plays all the time in his free time."

The lone daughter of the family, Janet, grew up in the pre-Title IX era, so she played on the boys team in high school. She currently teaches and oversees girls and boys tennis at a private school in Washington.

While living in Dugway, the Rothfels tired of the commute to Salt Lake City for their children's variety of lessons and decided to move the family into the city.

"When we were moving in from Dugway, the only parameter my mom had was that we had to live within walking distance of a tennis club," Ian Rothfels said.

After moving to Salt Lake, Rothfels was secretary of the Utah Tennis Association from 1970-74 while also coaching the University of Utah's tennis team from 1971-72.