An Eventful JV Golf Season

The Boy’s JV Golf season came to a close after a riveting season filled with participation and effort. The team, composed of mostly marginal sophomores and amazing 7th graders, vied for a winning season; however, the effort was futile as the team only won about two matches throughout the entire season. The season may have been a year filled with losses, but it was not a season of failure or disappointment. Many golfers dropped their scores by 5 or 6 strokes and managed to make it to at least half of the practices. The season may have been a failure to the untrained eye, but to a participant of the season it was a success. If one observed a JV golf practice, one could argue that the practice was avant-garde or unorthodox. This assertion is true; however, being different is not a bad approach to golf, the sport of many skills. For example, if one were to see the JV Boy golfers hundeled around each other and talking, one would assume that the golfers were not improving their skills. However, conversing is a skill of golf. In fact, strengthening the skill of “golf talk” is imperative. The JV Golf team’s practices may have seemed easy because they were. However, easy practices can be beneficial to the team. Many times, the JV Golf team played the par-three and then were home by 4:30. Players such as Slater Freytag and Tate Austin excelled at playing the par-three during practice. The JV Golf team seemed to be more of a optional club than a sports team because the players choose whether to play “seriously” or not. Ed Conway (Coach Hollywood), the coach of the JV Golf team, lead the boy’s team to victory (in two matches) while yelling catch phrases and commands such as: “Hit the ball!”, “Oh my God the pressure!”, “Put some power into it!”, “Easy game, Babbage”, “For God’s sake, hit the ball”, and “I just want 90 minutes of pure attention, that’s all I ask. You guys are lolligangin’ when you should be hittin’ the ball!”. Coach Ed was an influential and charismatic member of the team, giving rides on the golf cart and canceling practice often. He was also the team’s morale. His leadership instilled great joy and knowledge in the golfers as they took on the season, trying to improve themselves and have a good time at the same time.