SSN: An Inside Look On the Boys Golf Season

A+lone+golf+flag+on+an+empty+field

Junaid Hasan

A lone golf flag on an empty field

Junaid Hasan

On the Up and Up

Boys Golf for both Junior Varsity and Varsity has gone fairly well this season. For a first, both teams have won or got 1st in their first games, although they have dropped to 2nd and 3rd in the invitationals and tournaments. A better performance for them compared to last year, in which Varsity got two third places as their first two games. The players and their coaches, Mr. Young and Mr. Salvadori are hoping to continue this streak of winnings. I decided to interview some of the players and their coaches to allow you to understand this feeling of winning.

The first person I decided to interview was Mr. Young, and with him was Mr. Salvadori. To get some background info on the sport and them, I asked how long they were coaching, Young said “About 17 years”, while Salvadori said ten years less with “7 years”. Then I asked about their previous experiences and how they got into coaching.

Young said that he got into golf in his High School years, and has loved coaching the players in HSEHS after becoming a teacher here. He “[sees] them progress from Freshman to Sophomore year” and about their dedication growing for golf. Salvadori has a same experience, working at different golf courses then teaching, always having love for golf. Both of them say that coaching golf is a much different experience than teaching students, due to not having a set curriculum, and you can share common interests instead.

Now Boys Golf is nearing the end of the season, and nearing very important games. I decided to checkhow they are doing right now. Both Young and Salvadori believe that the players aren’t quite ready yet, but they still have a few weeks until some of the big games like the HCC Championships and the IHSAA Tournament, so they’ll have to practice. But what are they exactly practicing? That’s why I interviewed four players on the two teams, both on Junior Varsity and Varsity.

On Junior Varsity, I asked Sophomores Jordan Huxford and Charlie Putnam about their experiences on the team. Due to being on a JV team, especially one like golf, it can be quite hard to get recognition, so I asked them how they combat this. Huxford said that they try to work hard to get recognition by other colleges and that’s really what you have to do, have persistance and dedication to get into Varsity and get recognition. Putnam agreed with him, saying that the opportunities inspired him, and made him want to play better to get into better things.

From Varsity Boys Golf, I asked Sophomore Nate Benson and Senior Tyler Lacy thier opinions on how golf has its challenges. Lacy answered first, saying that “I believe that everyone has the capacity [but] it’s the mental aspect of it [that makes it hard]”. Golf may not seem like the hardest of sports, but when on the course, it is quite hard to keep your cool and get the scores that you would want to. Benson added to this by saying that the scores would really contribute to Varsity if you can get out of the anxiety that it can give to make those shots you want to.

Golf is a different sport from most others, and we, at HSEHS, take pride in that. We at the HSE SSN team hope that you take some time in your schedule to meet up with these amazing players and coaches.

For more information, please contact either Mr. Young ([email protected]) or Mr. Salvadori ([email protected]).