It's a gorgeous spring day in north suburban Deerfield, and Chicago Sky guards Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot are taking advantage by shooting around on their outdoor basketball hoop. It's part of their daily goal to stay active while staying at home.
"We try and change it up every single day, whether it’s in the house, watching videos, [or] if the weather’s nice enough, being out here," Quigley said. "We just bought this basketball hoop a week ago, just trying to be able to get shots up still."
Just three weeks ago, the two women were in Russia, where they played on the same team during the WNBA offseason. Late in the season, their team hadn't lost a single game in league play.
"Oh we were going to win it all," said Vandersloot. "Yeah, we were going to win it all, and everybody knew that," she added with a laugh.
But before they could finish the regular season and start the playoffs, the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Quickly, Quigley and Vandersloot booked tickets back to Chicago. Now, they're like everyone else in the area: stuck at home, but making the best of it.
"We’re trying to find the positives in it," said Quigley. "I know there’s a million people out there filing for unemployment – my brother, maybe her sister too. So we’re blessed to not even be experiencing that financial side of it," she added.
The biggest positive of the situation for the two women? They're getting to spend extra time together. Quigley and Vandersloot are married, so they're cherishing every unexpected moment.
Local
"So much of our life is so hectic, and we’re traveling all the time," Vandersloot said. "To be able to be home and really enjoy that, is also another blessing."
"It’s awesome," Quigley said. "To be able to have this experience with my wife and obviously teammate too, try to motivate each other every day to stop drinking the coffee and get outside and start working out ... [It’s] a unique situation, but we’re definitely blessed to be in it," added the Joliet native.
Just like many others, Quigley and Vandersloot are using their time together to get things done around the house.
"So many house projects," said Quigley. "The second we got home, we have this office that had some pretty old wallpaper in it. So that was the first thing we got to. Just painting, cleaning out the closet – just house things we never really have time to do in season."
Vandersloot enjoys the do-it-yourself projects, but she also jokingly says it creates more work for her than it does her wife.
"These projects – she has such ambition, and then it gets to a point and she loses that ambition, and I’m someone, I have to finish it if we’ve started, and she’s so cool, like, ‘Eehh, another day’," Vandersloot says with a smile. "So we get after it about that."
As for what's next? That's still up in the air. The WNBA season - slated to start on May 15th - has been postponed. Until then, Quigley and Vandersloot wait among good company.
