With spring break approaching and students beginning to study for midterms, the members of the golf team are working to get into the swing of things themselves.
Coming off their second full season, the Bombers will look to pick up where they left off — after claiming the Empire 8 Conference title — as they head back to the course.
The makeup of the team from this fall to spring has not changed. The Blue and Gold feature the same six players: seniors Lauren Ryan and Christie O’Shea, sophomores Samantha Liberty, Brooke Llobell and Jackie Young, and freshmen Amanda Failla and Elma Gonzalez.
Failla is coming off a special fall campaign that ended in championship fashion and an Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honor. While Failla was able to break school records repeatedly throughout the season, she said she is still determined to improve her numbers this spring.
“I still want to break 80,” Failla said. “My best so far in college is an 81.”
But Failla isn’t the only one who is looking toward the spring season with high hopes. Ryan said she is looking toward a strong finish to her senior year.
“With this being my last season, I have high goals,” Ryan said. “I need to focus on the shots I struggle with rather than shots I’m good at.”
The Bombers will launch into their spring season during spring break at Disney’s Palm Golf Course in Orlando, Fla., as they prepare for their spring competition.
Failla said the squad met for the first time during the off-season this past Thursday and has a lot of work left before they’re ready to compete.
The trip to Florida allows the Blue and Gold to get back into a competitive mind-set, as they will be busy throughout the week.
Their schedule for the week is expected to consist of a morning practice on the golf course, followed by a break before they play 18 holes. The Bombers will face New York University on March 12 in a practice competition and will have an intra-squad matchup during the week as well.
“Our trip to Orlando is important for getting us ready for the season,” Llobell said. “We’re all ready to start playing again.”
Upon its return from Florida, the South Hill squad will have two matches — one at the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira, N.Y., and one at the Dutchess Golf & Country Club in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. — before its anticipated, but short, spring season comes to an end.
Failla said she’s aware that the last time the Bombers played at Vassar College it didn’t end the way the team was shooting for.
“We came in last place in our last Vassar tournament,” Failla said. “So hopefully we can get up to fourth or fifth place.”
Failla isn’t the only one who realizes the spring won’t be as long as the fall season, which went from early September to mid-October.
Llobell said the a week of team bonding and practice down south coupled with the spring competition gives the team a chance to improve their skills.
“Spring is a short season for us competition-wise,” Llobell said. “So it’s a good chance to work on swing changes and tweak our technique.”
