Girls golf swings out of season

Girls golf kicked off their season with enthusiasm, and finished their season at their second league tournament. On Oct. 18, the Newbury Park girls golf team finished up their last tournament of this school year, amid other rival teams in the Marmonte League.

This season, the team strived to focus on internal improvement and the encouragement of fellow teammates.

Lindsey Mueller, senior, has been playing for the golf team her entire high school career, and as an active member, continues her personal growth this season.

“I really like how it’s an individual sport and it’s just the player against the course, and it really challenges me that way,” Mueller said.

Golf has allowed players like Mueller to explore different outlets, make friends, and get involved in school extracurriculars. “My favorite part of the golf team is all the girls who are on the team with me and all the good times we have,” Mueller said.

The girls on the team have to balance schoolwork and a rigorous practice schedules. Tournaments can last for up to six hours, some beginning in the mid-morning and ending in the late afternoon. Nori Parvin, head coach of the golf team, inspires the girls to try their best and challenge themselves to beat their last scores.

Each girl on the team has a different motive for doing what they love. Jaime Jewett, junior, has been golfing for five years total, three of which were on the high school team. The memories Jewett has made, while golfing with her dad, inspired her to join the girls golf team.
“My dad is a golfer and when I was young I could drive around with him in the golf carts and (I) made good memories,” Jewett said. She has also experienced moments on the team she holds dear in her heart. “Freshman year, coming into high school, it was good to have girls from the team who I already knew. The upperclassmen helped me out a lot and it was memorable because now I get to help the underclassmen get used to the team and high school, just like the upperclassmen did for me,” Jewett said.

The girls golf team also works on mental skills, such as concentration and focus, despite the physical work being done while out walking the course. Giselle Magana, sophomore, strives to work on concentration at practices and tournaments.

“I’m just trying to focus while I’m playing because I get distracted with the people around me,” Magana said. Many of the players enjoy learning to golf because they are surrounded by a supportive group of like minded individuals. The team also works hard on building a solid foundation of teamwork, whether it’s cheering each other on, learning techniques and skills from one another, or just interacting with teams from other schools at local tournaments.

The girls golf team has transformed from being a group of individuals into a community of support in the physical and academic realms. As the year goes on, the girls continue to develop and improve their personal technique, while persevering to find their own style.