The girls golf team is currently wrapping up their season, heading into postseason tournaments hoping to stay on “par.” Despite the extreme heat in the first few weeks of the school year to the challenges of keeping up with school and other curriculars, the athletes have won matches against Eureka, Parkway North and Whitfield, and achieved high places in many of their tournaments.
Nava Scheer, a sophomore and high scoring JV player, is no newbie. In her mind, as well as the majority of the golf team, the secret to success in golf is introspection and a positive mindset.
“I think the main thing about golf is having a good mental space,” Scheer said. “I know that when I’m not in a good mood, I just don’t play well. So you have to keep yourself happy and that’s something we’ve done really well this year as a whole team.”
The team energy has been a huge encouragement for promoting the positive mental space. Golfers have a different type of team spirit. The score of everyone’s individual round adds up so encouragement is really a driving force in the team. The goal is to keep your score as low as possible (1 point for every swing you take). Varsity athlete junior Grace Gettemeier’s experience has built a strong connection with varsity player junior Anaiya Sewer.
“Anaiya and I always scramble together and play together,” Gettemeier said. “If I’m playing really good…she’ll let me know and say, you’re playing well. And if she is playing well, I’ll do the same thing.”
Senior Ella Harris is a new athlete on the junior varsity team. Her strategy is to keep moving, even after disappointment.
“I just try to relax and tell myself that it’s gonna be okay.” Harris said. “If I hit a bad shot, that doesn’t mean that everything’s going to be bad.”
There is no bigger support than from coaches and teammates. The coaches are encouraging the focus on being quick to turn around through their love of the TV show character Ted Lasso.
“They [the coaches] love Ted Lasso,” Gettemeier said. “They are obsessed with the saying, ‘be like a goldfish,’ because goldfish have the shortest memories… So, it means get over yourself and play better.”
Head Coach Terri O’ Leary emphasizes one significant benefit to having the mental focus on the course; visualization and focus
“In all sports, you need to be able to visualize, you need to be able to focus,” O’Leary said. “So, when your head is not in a good space, when you’re not able to do that, the game suffers. You just don’t play as well when you’re not in a good space.”
The girls golf team recently placed 6th at the conference tournament on Oct.2 and Gettemeier placed tenth individually the team is now heading on to districts on Oct. 6.
