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Alyssa Pecharka knew she had to play high school sports. But a serious knee injury made basketball, her first love, too much of a risk.
“I decided that with all the hard work I had to do to rehab the injury, it might be wise for me to find a sport less possible to reinjure it again,” she said.
So the West Geauga junior came up with an idea. She went to people in the school and the school board to see if a Wolverines girls varsity golf team could be a possibility.
“They liked the idea,” she said, after posting a 50-stroke score last week at Punderson Golf Course. “And we got some interest from these great teammates of mine. And it became a reality.”
The Wolverines started their season at 2-4 in the Chagrin Valley Conference after a 191-235 loss to CVC rival Hawken. It was a beautiful day against the Hawks, a CVC power with a 5-1 conference record (9-2 overall).
Pecharka’s teammates like Katie Pollack followed with a 55, and Jenna Bertolone carded a 65 with Ashley Armstrong, the 5-person team’s lone senior.
But the scores only tell part of the story.
Roger Sines, a teacher at Lindsay Elementary School, is in his first year leading the first-year varsity team. He had nothing but praise for his girls after the Hawken meet was over, and there was good reason for that.
“A great thing about these girls,” Sines said, “is that they don’t get down on themselves when they play. They are all about getting better as they go along, and playing is the only way to do that. Our goals as a team, after finishing 6th to 8th in the CVC meets, are to just to try to do better — or at least the same — as a team while lowering individual scores by 4-5 strokes.”
Olivia Conley was lost to a back injury, leaving the Wolverines with four players to complete their season.
But new Athletic Director Joe Leonette sees a very bright future for the program. “I’ll tell you what, (girls) come in my office and ask how to be a part of the team,” he said. The Wolverines home course is at Fowlers Mill.
For Armstrong, providing leadership in her last season is important.
“I’m just really having a great time spending time with this team,” she said as she came off the course at Punderson in the last foursome of the day. “Time spent with these girls has been a great time for me, and I want them to feel the same way.”
The future leader of the team, Bertolone, has seen the importance of having a team at West G now.
“Having had a chance to think about this whole experience now,” she said, “it really makes me feel good to be part of the first girls golf team at West Geauga. As a team, we want to do better, and for myself, I’m really having fun as I learn to play, and I want to keep getting better to be more competitive.”
Pollack didn’t have succinct goals when she went out for the team, but that is changing.
“Honestly, I just came out for the fun of playing,” the tall junior stated. “I like to compete, though, that’s what sports is all about, and as a team, I see us getting better all the time while becoming more competitive. This Hawken team has some good players, and that’s what we want to become as well.”
Sines is clear in what being the leader of the first girls golf team at West Geauga means.
“This is a big step for me to coach these girls and be a positive role model for them,” he said. “Golf is a tough game to learn, but if you are positive and keep working, the rewards can be huge. With regular play and improvements, some of these girls might get college scholarships or aid throught their efforts now.”
For Hawken, coach Debby Horowitz has her team off to a solid start this season as they head for tournament time.
Paced by a sweet day of consistency from It’sabella Joseph of Hawken, who toured the back nine with a solid 42 score, both teams had fun, but with Ryan Covitt and Doreothy Lowenstein each adding 49’s and Jane Wiertel capping the effort for Hawken with a 51 the winner never was seriously doubted.
Joseph is one of the top girls golfers in the area.
“For us, the key for our team,” Joseph said, “is to become more consistent individually while working better to help each other out to become a good team. We have a lot of fun playing, but competition is important , too.”
At the same time, having fun is important. The West Geauga girls know it and are doing just that. Dorothy Lowenstein of Hawken, following her round of 51, may have epitomized how important it really is.
“After a round of golf like we had today, a really nice but hot day, I just want to get out and go somewhere for a really good burger and fries dinner,” she said.
You could tell by her swing that she tried hard to make good shots, and she did. You’d think the girls might be a bit tired after a round of golf, but Pecharka and Lowenstein were anything but as they departed the golf course.
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