2013 Standard Press Coach of the Year: Rose Dolatowski, Burlington girls tennis

By Mike Ramczyk

Sports Editor

Rose Dolatowski loves tennis.

Not only does she give her all for her players, she is active in getting community members to play and enjoy her passion.

In 2013, Dolatowski, head coach of the Burlington girls tennis team, made history by guiding the girls to the school’s first-ever team state appearance.

Moreover, five individuals qualified for the individual state meet, another first for the program.

For her efforts, Dolatowski has been named the 2013 Burlington Standard Press Coach of the Year.

Dolatowski has been in the trenches teaching tennis for 25 years, and she finally took an entire team to Madison. Long hours working with the city’s recreation department every summer paid off.

The Lady Demons are now a force to be reckoned with, and they are increasing the town’s already excellent fall sports culture.

“We’re playing real tennis, which is a new thing for Burlington,” Dolatowski said with a smile on her face back in October. “They aren’t just playing for fun anymore. It’s pretty darn exciting. It’s been a long road, but it’s a great journey.”

For decades, the Burlington girls tennis squad has been fighting for this respect. Many girls came out for the team just for fun, and reaching sectionals was a long shot, let along state.

Dolatowski’s energy rubbed off on her team. During one practice at Four Lakes Athletic Club in Elkhorn, she taught her girls specific strokes, playing at the net, and more. She even got right in the thick of things by playing against one of her doubles teams.

At 18-6 overall, the Demons shined all season, and everything they did was with team in mind.

Though the team suffered a one-and-done to a very strong Divine Savior Holy Angels, all is not lost.

Lacey Londre, Lydia Crabtree, Sophie Grandi and Emily Crabtree all return next season, and with a year of state seasoning under their belts, will only get better.

Dolatowski preaches chemistry, and pasta parties the night before matches build team bonding and camaraderie.

The veteran coach has girls attending collegiate-level camps in the offseason. Also, she encourages playing year-round.

Players love Rose

The girls sang Dolatowski’s praises back in October.

It isn’t necessarily just her expertise, her encouragement or her constructive criticism. It’s all these things combined with a child-like passion for the sport that ignites this team to perform at the highest level.

“Rose is happier than all of us combined,” senior Olivia Leuck said. “The team has been waiting for this. Rose has worked with us for four years. She built it up, and it’s our year to shine. They’re like a second family to me.”

Senior Alli Zeman admires Dolatowski’s ability to switch between coach and cheerleader seamlessly.

“She’s an intense coach,” Zeman said. “But she knows when compliments are due. She keeps us thinking as a team and thinking positive. We’ve grown with her, and we know her well.”

For years, tennis has been the secondary sport for many of these athletes. Now, it’s the favorite pastime for many of the girls. This season, there were 50 girls out for the program.

Dolatowski said these girls saw Stephanie Londre’s success and wanted to emulate her. Stephanie Londre is currently playing Division I tennis at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

“They got hungry,” Dolatowski said. “They started playing more. There isn’t much of a gap between these players.”

The new Burlington High School, which was built in 2000, has opened the doors to more community involvement and interest in tennis in general.

“Team state is huge for the school,” Dolatowski said. “Now people will know we have another fall sport. Once the courts and the new football stadium were built, we were much more visible. Many more adults in the community are playing on the courts.”

Much like volleyball, baseball and football, Dolatowski is working hard to make tennis not just a sport, but a culture. It’s a lifelong sport, and the coach is working to make these girls strong people just as much as strong tennis players.