Goal of the brand new girls golf team: get off the ground and develop into a full-fledged team
For the past few years, it's been the same old, same old. A girls golf team tries to form, only to fizzle. The girls try to form a golf team the next year, only to have it fizzle.
Well, this year, the girls have finally done it.
"Learned." This was first word the girls golf team coach, P.E. teacher Brian Sullivan, used to describe the team's first match in its entire history, which was against Lynbrook High School on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Of course, Sullivan did not have high hopes going into that match.
"It was a learning experience," he said. He wanted the match to show the girls how to improve.
And that's what the team of seven—two juniors, one sophomore, and four freshmen—has been doing. Steadily improving with each practice. The fact that the team doesn't even have a full-fledged nor definite practice schedule isn't changing that.
The team has already set goals for itself this year: grow and learn. One week, the girls practiced their swing by hitting into the baseball field; another, they threw softballs to learn about momentum.
"It's about repetition and constantly going out there and just trying to feel more comfortable standing over the ball," Sullivan said.
And all the girls have their personal goals in mind.
"I want to improve my consistency, because one day I'll hit decently and the next day I'll hit it into water,î said junior Christina Wong.
"I'm trying to get more distance because I don't hit very far,î said sophomore Prianka Singh.
The team has two more matches until the CCS qualifying matches. But Sullivan is not worried at all about the upcoming league qualifiers, even though the team will not be strong enough to qualify as a whole. Instead, only a couple of individual players will be sent to play.
Even if the team doesn't do well at the CCS qualifiers, this is already a step up from previous years. Before, if girls wanted to play golf at MVHS, they would have had to play on the boys golf team. Out-competed by boys, girls would only be able to make the junior varsity team, which does not play any matches.
As a result, only one girl, Singh, was able to go to the girls golf CCS qualifying matches last year.
"Hopefully we'll get to do more this year," Singh said.
However, when Sullivan tried to muster up a girls golf team for the past couple of years, only one to three girls supported him. He even tried to interest girls in joining a team during the P.E. department's spring golf elective unit, to no avail.
But with the official creation of a team this year, Sullivan believes that next year will bring about a full-fledged team roster and practice schedule.
"It sounds like all the girls are planning on going through the growing pains this year and being back next year," Sullivan said. He expects next year's incoming freshman class to bring the team up to about 12 players.
Then will the team not only be able to stand sturdily on its feet, but really be able to thrive.
And if there happens to be a couple of struck birdies along the way, then all the better for the girls golf team.
