Freshmen enjoying first year of high school golf

Since March 21 the women’s golf team has been working hard to perfect their skills and compete at meets. This year there are three freshmen, and head coach Megan Youngkent said, “I‘m always pleased when freshmen go out because that is who we will eventually be building our team with, and they will become the upperclassmen leaders in a few short years. This year we have a great freshman class.” 

Freshman Morgan Fort has been playing for about a year now and said, “I was inspired to go out this year because I wanted to be a part of a team. Also, I really enjoyed golf and I wanted to get better.”

The weather this year has been inconsistent and changed a lot. Assistant coach Richard Strike said “The season is going as well as it can be with the ‘wonderful’ Iowa spring weather this year. The golfers are doing a great job of dealing with the weather.” 

Fort said, “The weather has been a real challenge; it means not getting as much hours in for practices, also, meets getting rescheduled.” 

The team has a varsity and JV, and all of the freshman girls are competing at the JV level, but they share practices with the upperclassmen. Fort said, “Being one of the few freshmen has been interesting. It is nice to make friendships with upperclassmen. The thing I like about the golf team is that everyone is nice and welcoming.”

Because most of the freshmen are less experienced, the meets are separate. Strike said, “For JV we have several meets throughout the season—primarily with the Metro teams. They are used to allow golfers the opportunity to see what a meet is like (playing with other teams).”

Fort said she has really enjoyed the season so far. “Golf has been a really fun experience. It’s nice to get involved in a fun atmosphere and to be active. The advice I have for girls wanting to go out for golf would be don’t be afraid to give it a try. Everyone is at their own level, and we are trying to improve. The coaches are very supportive and encouraging. The teammates also are very supportive and understanding. Don’t be scared to give it a try. It’s better to try than to regret never trying.” 

The JV team has won six meets, placing seventh in one and had one other meet canceled. Strike also encouraged others to join the team and offered some advice for preparing. “If you plan on going out for golf, it would benefit you greatly to get out and play/practice during this summer and fall. When the spring season comes around and the season starts, there just isn’t a great deal of time that can be devoted to big improvements.”

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