Years ago, the late singer/actor Kenny Rogers sang the theme song for his movie, The Gambler. The first line of the chorus begins, “You’ve gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away …”
Walking away is what longtime Fenwick High School tennis coach Gerard Sullivan is doing after a long, successful career. At the conclusion of the current season, he’ll retire and pass the reins of the boys and girls programs to Ron Rogala.
“It’s time,” said Sullivan, who will continue to teach at Fenwick. “It’s been a lot of seasons, and it’s time for me to taper down. But I’d like to keep teaching for as long as I can. That’s my real job; it’s why I’m there.”
Sullivan has coached Fenwick’s boys team since 1992, and has been the only head coach in the girls program, which started in the fall of 1992 when the school turned coed. He guided the girls to a third-place finish in the 2021 IHSA Class 1A state tournament, then won the state championship in 2022.
Sullivan said he’s most fond of how his players developed under his guidance.
“Any time you have a kid overachieve or do something nice for him or herself, those are the great memories,” he said. “It’s great when you have a team that clicks and works well together. There are also great individual moments that make [coaching] worthwhile.”
Sullivan admitted he’ll miss coaching because of the way it helps make the school year go by faster. Sports also help student-athletes see the bigger picture in high school.
“It’s great being able to provide that,” he said.
While he doesn’t know Rogala personally, he credits Fenwick athletic director Scott Thies for conducting a thorough coaching search.
“I’ve heard great things about [Rogala],” he said. “He’s very qualified and experienced, and I know Scott would find a good replacement. He’s very good at hiring quality coaches, and that was one reason I was confident in stepping down. I made the decision in November, and that gave Scott plenty of time.”
Meanwhile, Sullivan’s focus is on developing a young Friars team, which lost 10 players from last year due to graduation.
“It’s a smaller group of kids with experience,” he said. “They’re really improving, and I feel good about that. They’re showing a lot of good energy.”
While it would make a fine ending if Fenwick makes noise in the Chicago Catholic League and IHSA tournaments, Sullivan says he’s not focused on that.
“That’d be great, but it’s not something I’m expecting,” he said. “We’re focusing on one week at a time, one match at a time, and if we get better, I’m glad. But there’s no pressure.”