Isabella Koch
Feature Editor
Starting in early April, the boys golf team, lead by Dave Herring and Bryan Goudy, has already faced challenges many other sports bypass easily. After completing the first day of tryouts, the team had to postpone the following days to the next week. This was due to the unexpected snow in the beginning of April.
Herring and Goudy have been coaching together for 7 years now, while Herring has been involved and coaching for 20 years overall in the Orono program. Being golfers themselves, the team has driven these coaches to push through and work with the unexpected weather.
“We have lost a few matches because of the weather and some of the practice time. It is unfortunate and it gets pretty chaotic for the coaches. This has been the 2nd year in a row that we have had an April snowstorm and its hard on the coaches and team,” coach Herring continues, “The weather had been fine for years. There were years where there was little to no snow fall and we had been golfing before spring break.”
Fourth year player Aaron Kuznik touched on the inconvenience the snow has laid out for the team over time.
“Even though this year was a little bit of a late start, it was a lot better than last year when we got a snowstorm in late April,” Kuznik said.
Although the weather may have slowed down the team, it definitely did not stop it. The team is made up of 20 players spanning from freshman to seniors.. After tryouts, there are two teams formed; varsity and junior varsity. Although the season may only last for a couple of months, the team has become quite close, resulting in a unbreakable bond.
“The bond between the guys on this years teams is great. We all had a chance to play together last year which made this year even more fun. As captains, Charlie and I like to make sure people are having fun which makes the sport even better,” senior captain Sam Perry said.
From the eyes of the coaches, the team has certainly been entertaining to watch on and off the course.
“It is an interesting dynamic because we add new 9th graders every year in the lost of seniors. They play together at matches and ride the bus together, spending hours at a time with each other so evidently you get closer. It is fun to watch,” coach Herring said.
After getting through tryouts and fighting the snow, the team finally had their first varsity match in Orono at Baker National Park. Orono finished 3rd overall with a score of 319, which is a cumulative amount of all six players scores. The highest individual score was junior Aaron Kuznik at 76.
Overtime, the initial tryout count has increased resulting in a competitive spirit straight from the beginning of the season. This spirit is then carried throughout the season. Some players, as well as the coaches, have set goals or have certain aspirations they want to complete this season.
“My goal this 2019 golf season is to make it to State,” senior captain Charlie Carlsen said.
The season may only have a month left but their schedule is filled. Many practices and a few matches between the teams have the boys on course to sections. The results of the section match will depict if the Orono spartans make it to State.
