Teeing It Up with Tulane Women's Golf
Dec 9, 2008 | Women's Golf
Dec. 9, 2008
Most people think that having a well balanced life between being a student at a highly acclaimed university such as Tulane and being a first class athlete in a world of highly competitive Division I collegiate sports would be almost impossible. I am here to say that my team and I have proudly survived our first semester at Tulane and feel that it was an exhilarating experience and a part of our lives that most definitely will not be forgotten.
Three main factors that made my first semester at Tulane as a student-athlete unforgettable were the triumphs through difficult academics, our first golf season back since Hurricane Katrina and our fall tournament experiences.
I think our fall golf season is best described as a period of transition, adjustment and optimism. The transitions and adjustments were made on and off the golf course. On the golf course we learned how to practice efficiently, and with our goals in mind, always knowing that there was another tournament to be played just around the corner. A big change for me was the transition from always practicing by myself to being with five other girls around who, I of course, wanted to talk and gossip with all day but instead quickly learned how to concentrate and use my time at the course affectively. We also had to adjust to Coach Horton's coaching style and find a good wave of communication.
Off the golf course we were required to attend morning workouts and meet with our sports psychologist, Dr. Lance Green. Both of these requirements were new to our daily lives and helped us better our golf games. The fall season was an optimistic one because we saw that no one on our team is close to their potential, but time after time everyone experienced quick glimpses of how good we will be, individually and as a team. Coach played a vital role as motivator; by this I mean he kept us positive throughout the entire season when it would have been easy to get down on ourselves about a poor performance. He and Dr. Green both instilled in us the idea that the process is what is important, and as long as we put in the hard work with a positive attitude and dedication we will start performing to our potential and reaching our goals.
Personally, I got off to a bumpy start at the beginning of school but I utilized my resources to get help and find tutors for the classes that I was struggling with. The athletic staff was behind me the whole way and encouraged me to put my best effort towards my schoolwork and that establishing good relationships with my professors was crucial. I followed my advisors advice and am finishing my first semester with a much more solid academic foundation.
Our team adjusted very well to the challenging academics that Tulane offers. Our international players from Sweden, Linn (Gustafsson) and Daniela (Holmqvist) have familiarized themselves extremely well to the academic life in America. I was very impressed with the way the Swedes took control of the American classroom setting and continued to be calm and organized rather than overwhelmed and confused. I attribute both my individual success and our team's academic success to our academic staff and our coach.
Traveling to golf tournaments is by far one of my favorite things about playing golf for Tulane. Being able to fly to three out of our four tournaments spoiled us, but the one drive we took, to Auburn, was a breeze because of our new luxury bus that I had no problem falling asleep in. Another great part about traveling to golf tournaments is the chance to see our parents. I was very fortunate in this aspect because my mom was at every tournament and my dad also attended two.
Our team had a big family turn out at "The Derby" in Auburn, which was fabulous to see. Ashley's (McKenney) dad made a pit-stop there on his way back from a business trip in Poland. Linn's dad flew from Sweden, and Stephanie's (Wagstaff) parents came down from Asheville, N.C. and it was a great success. I think having family at our tournaments is a great help and support system to our players. The hospitality at our fall tournaments was incredible. All the hosting teams and their facilities were very nice and accommodating, and I know that we all loved the fabulous snacks, lunch and dinners provided during these events. Although tournaments are a time to buckle down and be serious about golf, our team always has a good balance between being focused and having fun.
See you next spring on the course!
Players Mentioned
