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Upsets mark women’s golf tourney

BY NEAL FISHER
Sports WRITER :

The Chiefland Women’s
Golf Association’s annual
handicap tournament moved
. into its middle stages as 12
golfers continued to press on
in their pursuit of adding to
their list of holiday cheer a
prestigious title.

Once again, with the change
to a double elimination and
match play format, when the
dew from the greens melted,
four more women were
eliminated from play.

“This is a tournament that
gives the mid handicappers
and the higher ones a chance
to win,” Marilee Leonard, the
association’s president, said.
“It makes the field equal
even before we step onto the
course and it is even unusual
at times for the higher seeds
to win.”

After the winners’ bracket
was shaved from eight golfers
to four competitors in the
previous round, the women
who found themselves on the
short side of the scorecard
were matched up with the
participants already fighting
for survival in the loser’s
bracket. i

The result was once again
a grocery list of surprises and
close matches that made the
tournament an exciting and
eventful affair.

The built-in disadvantage
for the lower handicappers
came to fruition for number
one seed Barbara Ahola.
After winning her first round
match in convincing fashion
she was summarily dismissed
from the tournament with two
consecutive losses.

 

wR AS

Love of t

BY NEAL FISHER
Sports WRITER

As the only school in Levy
County with a soccer team,
Williston High School al-
ready holds an unusual place
‘within the region, but it may
soon also. be known as a pro-
gram of tradition. .

Four years after taking the

field for its first-ever game,,

the Williston soccer team is
coming of age while enjoying
its best season to date. But
before the team could start
to think about winning be-
coming convention, the pains
and difficulties of building a
program from scratch created
the hardships from which the
program was born.

Shannon and Amber Agu-
irre have played soccer al-
most their entire lives. The
whole family believed a team
at the school would have long
lasting benefits to both the
community and the players.

This was because, even
though, a significant part of
the affinity for the two sis-
ters and their father, is tied
to their love for the sport and
what they mean to the com-
munity within the Bronson
Recreational League they
and their friends still needed
another outlet of play.

In doing so, they also

_ wanted to bring a new source

of student and athletic par-
ticipation to Williston High
School.

“We always felt that soccer
was the one sport that was
ours,” Amber, who is now a
senior and one of the team’s
tri-captains said. “I have been
playing it since I was in the
third grade. We thought we
could bring it to the school
and share it with others.

“When'l step onto the soc-
cer field I feel an adrenaline
rush and now I see the same
with my teammates. When
we first went to the school,
(with the proposition) I had
gained so much from playing

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=P et ai

In the winner’s bracket, she
succumbed to Pat Renaud’s
crushing consistency and
then found herself in a match
with another lower seed who
was playing her steadiest and
finest golf of the year.

Although she parlayed an
impressive round of 88, it
was no match for the 11th
seeded Arma Beauchamp
who dropped over 11 strokes
off her average score in this
particular match.

With the upstart raising
the quality of her. game, she
made sure she advanced as
she forced the tournament’s

number one seed to cut at

least one stroke off of her

average score on over half of
the holes.
by four holes.

In suffering her second
consecutive defeat, Ahola ran
into another opponent who ran
off.a string of several regular
and net pars. Beachamp’s
consistency was produced by
a strong putting game and it
was spearheaded by a regular
par on the third hole.

With the unexpected
situation of the tournament’s
number one seed falling out
of the event because of her
opponent’s hot streak, Betty
Beck and Freida Martin made
the most of the opening.

For as much as_ the

Beauchamp won.

 

-Journal photos by Neal Fisher
' KEEP YOUR HEAD down and look for the sweet spot. That’s what these
ladies of the Chielfand Women’s Golf Association practice during tour-
ney play.

tournament’s feel and the
players’ approach | was
changed by the elimination of
its top seed, the same could
also be said of the opposite
end of the spectrum.

The lowest seed, Betty
Beck, staved off elimination
for the second consecutive
match with a four-hole
victory over Jeannie Clark.
In defeating the tournament’s
sixth seed, Beck continued her
potent play from the previous
round as she scored net pars
on over half of the holes.

_ After becoming __ the
tournament’s biggest first
_ round upset, Leonard

sustained her place in the

 

Journal photo by Neal Fisher

THE TEAM struggled in their first three years, often doing the mambo while try-
ing to find the right combination. of how to pursue their philosphy of controlling

the midfield.

soccer, like patience and re-
lying on a team and I wanted
others to play the sport so
they could gain those types
of things too.”

The first step in making the
team a reality was gathering
a group of girls who wanted
to play. It was also the hard-
est part of the process, but
eventually 22 girls answered
the call.

The girls along with their
parents and people who fol-
lowed the school’s athletic
department first went to the
school’s principal and the ath-
letic director (neither are no
longer at the school). Then
they explained the proposi-
tion to the school board.

The proposition was met
with halfhearted responses
at first, but the large turnout

‘of adults, some who had no

children attending the school,

swayed the powers that be in
the direction of considering a
soccer team would be of ben-
efit to all parties. The large
support outside of the would
be players was also a definite
contrast to the youth league
as there is a lot more family
backing at the high school
level.

“When Amber and Shan-
non came to me with the idea
of starting a soccer program at
Williston High School I was
excited about bringing all the
things it has given me to the
community and it has been
great to be able to play sports
year round,” Midfielder and
one of the other tri-cpatains
Kaitlyn Guinsler, said.

“T would like for the girls
who follow us to see getting
the program started and get-
ting it to the point where it is
now as a message of never

.

giving up. It was hard to get
it started but we kept pushing.
And since we started playing,
it has been hard and there are
still some obstacles, but we
are making progress.”

“When we first started
there was less than ten people
in the stands. But now we get
about 60. It’s not much, but
it is definitely better than be-
fore. And that is how a pro-
gram gets known.”

With the approval finally
being granted, the team be-
gan playing in 2003, three
years after the sisters and
their father first broached the
subject. Shannon was a se-
nior at the time.

Their father, Max, who
was among the parents voic-
ing their support from the
beginning, volunteered _ to
coach the team from its earli-
est stages. Including his time

‘through its first three

tournament as she took
another step towards her goal
of making her way through
the waters of the loser’s
bracket by besting Fran Ice in
a tight nip and tuck affair.

Ice captured some of the
momentum with a_ prolific
chip-in on the third hole and
rode it until the turn.

Leonard, finding — the
consistency she said would
be needed to win - this
tournament, matched her hole
for hole until the turn. After
extending that lead to two
holes by the time they came
to 16th fairway, for the second
consecutive match, she took
advantage of the lake on the
hole. Leonard’s experience
and proficiency took over as
she won the hole and put the
match out of reach.

The other match in the
loser’s bracket emphasized
the advantage lower seeds
have in this tournament as
Freida Martin took on Nancy
Klug.

Klug, the 15th seed, earned
a ticket to play at least
three games with her first
round victory over Leonard.
However, she quickly lost
her touch in the next round,
particularly her putting game.
It continued against Martin.

Klug was also hindered by
physical problems, reducing

any possibility of her swing:

being used as a part of her
arsenol.

The winner’s bracket saw
Pat Renaud defeat a game
Betty Altieri.

‘Then in the tournament’s

most exciting match to date
the tenth seeded, Ruth Baker
took a two-hole victory over

’ at-the helm of the Lady Dev-

ils he has coached soccer for
12 years. His experience with
the sport made him an obvi-
ous choice. Juan Colina and
Ray Douyard are the assistant
coaches.

“Having a soccer team
means a whole new oppor-
tunity for many of the stu-
dents,” Amber said. “A lot
of students who have athletic
ability, but no team to display
them with, now have that op-
portunity to sense feeling like
part of a team.

“Since we were new, we
didn’t: have tryouts or turn
anybody away. The program
is setup for the players to
learn the game. We enjoy
it, because it is unique to
the girls at Williston High
School, just like football is to
the boys. And just like foot-
ball is unique to the boys, we
feel soccer is unique to us.”

While the Aguirre sisters
and Guinsler spearhead the
initiative, it didn’t make much
of a. difference in attracting
experienced soccer players.
Eighteen of the girls had no
soccer experience and
with so many players
without. any soccer
experience, it showed
as the team ackward-
ly muddled its way

seasons.

However, this year
has been a_ turming
point for the team.
The team’s impressive
record through twelve
games is a direct con-
nection, to the nine
seniors on the squad
and the introduction
of passing certain ele-
ments of the Williston
way and play from one
generation to the next.

The season started
without the burden of
having to start over at
the most basic level of

Patsy Sheppard. Baker, the
tournament’s 10th seed, held
a one-hole lead after 17 holes. ,
Baker was another lower
seed that upped her game.
She remained steady and
true to her average, putting
pressure on the tournament’s
number three seed. Among
the reasons for being able to
maintain her average score
were multiple putts from at
least 20 feet.

“The top six seeds in this
tournament have all lost
at least one match. -Those
handicappers have really
taken advantage of their
opportunity to shine. They
feel it is their tournament
to win and they are really
shining. They are enjoying
it.”

Third Round Results ©

#16 Betty Beck defeated
#6 Jeannie Clark

#13 Freida Martin defeated
#15 Nancy Klug’

#2 Marilee Leonard
defeated #12 Fran Ice

#11 Arma Beauchamp
defeated #1 Barbara Ahola

(Losers in losers’ bracket

were eliminated from
tournament)
Winners’ Bracket
Semifinals
#8 Pat Renaud defeated: #4
Betty Altieri

#10 Ruth Baker defeated
#3 Patsy Sheppard

Losers’ Bracket Fourth
Round Schedule
#2 Marilee Leonard vs. #11
Arma Beauchamp
#16 Betty Beck vs. #13

 

FeRGBT
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le game kicked soccer program into existence

teaching fundamental skills.

In addition, this is allowing
the younger players to devel-
op those skills and be ready
to step in when the seniors
graduate.

“This year we started doing
some of the things earlier, like
conditioning and it has been a
big help,” Guinsler said. ““We
wouldn’t have been able to
do that the last three seasons,
because the players had to b
taught what to do.

“The seniors and juniors
are now in a position to help
and show the others what to
do, instead of having to be
taught it themselves. I think
we are now at the point where
if we get the girls who follow
us started early, in’ the ninth
grade, they will have time
to develop their basic skills
before they are forced to see
significant time.”

Anything worth doing
in life is never easy and as
the Lady Devils are spread-
ing their pitchforks, they are
showing why.

 

Journal photo by Neal Fisher

ALONG WITH Kaitlyn Guinsler,
Amber Aguirre has been with
the team for all four years of
its existance and have been an
integral part in the team’s evo-

lution.

Na

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