Central sees end of era with Rebecca Swigert-Fenton’s departure

For the past two decades, Rebecca Swigert-Fenton has been an integral part of athletics and academics at Central. Over that time, the Comet community has become a huge part of her life as well.

“I went in there, kind of metaphorically, as a little baby not knowing really what I was doing,” she said. “Central provided me with a lot of opportunities, and I have so many good memories and so many friendships. I’m not from the area, so when I moved to Clifton I didn’t know anybody, and I leave that phase of my life with so many friends, people who feel like family, and people who are godparents to my children.”

A Petersburg native, Swigert-Fenton began her tenure at Central at the start of the 2004-05 school year as a history teacher and the head girls track and field coach. She added the head girls basketball job at rival Watseka from 2009-14 and, after a year away from the hardwood, began her tenure as the Comets’ girls basketball coach in 2015, coaching both the girls track and field and girls basketball teams until last school year ended.

Over all those years at Central, Swigert-Fenton has undergone plenty of life changes, and there simply was not enough time in the day for everything from coaching, to teaching, to parenting and more.

She has accepted a position teaching history in Manteno, where she and her family live, and will take a step back from coaching for the time being to carve out more family time.

“It was a really big decision for me – bittersweet for sure” she said. “I knew when I started coaching 20-plus years ago it was going to be a huge part of my career. About 10 years ago I was pregnant with my first child, and I said, ‘I think I can still do it. I can coach, I can be a mom, I can teach, I can be a wife.’ It was probably a little harder than I thought, if I’m being honest.”

With four kids all getting older and starting to take part in more sports and extracurriculars, Swigert-Fenton’s down time over the past few years was limited.

Her oldest daughter Audrey is about to turn 10, her son Cory is 8 years old, and twins Addy and Jaxson just turned 7. Even without coaching on the horizon, at least officially, there is plenty to keep Swigert-Fenton busy.

“Just all of the coordinating of activities and trips and things like that, I’m just really looking forward to being able to be the person that provides all those rides,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of basketball in the driveway this summer already. But being able to play with my kids and be around, I’m looking forward to that part.”

Coaching was always an interest for the former Lincoln Land Community College and Illinois State basketball player and high school track and field athlete, but Swigert-Fenton said she did not expect to start coaching as quickly as she did in her career.

She said Harry Kunsch, the boys track and field coach at Central when she came on board, really took her under his wing early on. More recently, she said current boys coach David Ladehoff helped ease up her load as her life got busier, allowing her to continue her coaching career for a couple of years longer than she otherwise could have.

Because of this, she was able to put together a memorable final year. Although she did not yet know this basketball season would be her last at the time, Swigert-Fenton led the Comets to a 20-11 record and runner-up finish in the River Valley Conference (14-2).

The track team managed to pull out a close win in the RVC Conference Meet, clinching the title with a second-place finish in the meet’s final event.

“When it came down to literally the last race, when it came down to the 4x400 relay, I just kind of stood in my usual spot and just thought, ‘This is kind of surreal,’” she said. “It just all kind of felt like it was right, and it was fun to win that in the way that we did with such a great group of girls.”

It was a good way to go out, at least for now. Swigert-Fenton said she plans on continuing her coaching career at some point in the future. But, for the time being, will enjoy her step back.

“I’m looking forward to just being a parent for a little while,” she said. “I’m sure coaching will be back in my system before too long.”