Rose Katen’s first practice at Cheyenne Mountain is one she’ll never forget. And unfortunately, that’s due to a worrisome moment.

No worries, this story has a happy ending. After all, the Red-Tailed Hawks’ No. 2 singles player earned Peak Performer honors for a reason. However, in 2022 at summer practice for the Red-Tailed Hawks, Katen battled to stay on the court.

“The first time I saw her she was dealing with some upper respiratory things and she couldn’t really make it through an hour-and-a-half practice,” Cheyenne Mountain tennis coach Dave Adams said. “… What she was dealing with wasn’t a fitness issue, but she was struggling.”

Katen’s battle to continue practice came from a condition called Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction. The short explanation of EILO is: Typically, during exercise, the vocal cords expand to allow for proper breathing. People with EILO, their vocal cords contract, making it difficult to breathe.

According to the National Institutes of Health, EILO “is common, especially among adolescents and young adults, with a prevalence reported to be between 5% to 10%.”

Katen said she’s experienced EILO her entire life and, after initially being misdiagnosed with asthma, it was properly diagnosed in middle school at National Jewish Hospital in Denver. That’s where Katen learned different breathing patterns to combat the condition.

“There’s a technique you’re taught to help you breathe and it took me so long to learn it,” Katen said. “When you’re breathing in, you have to breathe in through your teeth and that helps open your vocal cords. And you have to adjust your next few breaths after that. I usually do it in between points. Then, during the point, I breathe normally and don’t focus on that.

“I had a few tournaments where I almost passed out right after the match because my breathing was so bad. It was rough at first and I still experience it during matches, but I’ve learned to deal with it better with breathing techniques.”

After an uncomfortable start to her preps career, Katen has enjoyed an astounding path to a pair of individual state titles. The Red-Tailed Hawks’ junior entered Cheyenne Mountain as one of four star freshman in a class that included Sophie Zhou, Alyssa Sadri and Saffron Heroldt, who finished their freshman singles campaigns with a combined 42-8 record.

Katen played No. 1 doubles as a freshman, finished as a runner-up at the individual state tournament and built a 14-3 record with partner Jocelyn Kelly. But Katen moved to No. 3 singles as a sophomore where she earned her first state title, compiled a 15-2 record and closed the season with 11 consecutive victories – all in straight sets.

“It was clear that she was putting the work in,” Adams said. “Her groundstrokes got a lot more penetration than they had in the past and she added a net game that she did not have even in her freshman year when you have to have one. … Rose has an aggressive mentality and she doesn’t want to sit around and wait for her opponent to give her a point.”

Katen earned a promotion to No. 2 singles this year and dominated her opposition to the tune of a 16-1 record. After a three-set loss in early April, Katen won seven of her next nine regular-season matches without relinquishing three games to her opponent. One of those two, Adams expected to be a close match. But the other …

“We played Discovery Canyon and we’re a deeper team than they are and stronger up top,” Adams said. “Rose had an opponent she knew she should be able to defeat. But she played well against Rose and I kept looking to see if (Rose) was going to tighten up and there was no sign of it. She had faith she would figure out the conditions and adjust and it was fun to watch that. Rose won that first set 7-5 and she figured it out in the second set and ran away with it 6-0.”

Katen won each of her matches at the individual state tournament in straight sets, including the title contest against Kent Denver’s Victoria Strobos 6-4, 6-4, who Katen also defeated at the team tournament 6-0, 6-3 in May to help the Red-Tailed Hawks capture the team title.

Since moving to singles, Katen has a 31-3 record and has not lost in straight sets since her sophomore season. Adams believed Katen had the potential to become an individual state champion. Katen also believed it was possible, but bringing it to fruition was a breath of fresh air.

“I started at No. 1 doubles and I’ve moved up a position each year,” Katen said. “I feel like I’ve been making a lot of progress, especially after getting so close to winning my freshman year and then winning the next two years despite moving up. That was a huge step in my progress.”