Washington girls swinging their way toward the course

With spring upon us, the Washington girls golf team is ready to get on the course for another year. Washington girls coach Leonard Kull says the team is prepared.

?We had a pretty good idea who would be out this year,? he says.

?We have a very young team that in some respects has had a lot of experience. I have four juniors, a sophomore and two freshmen.

?Juniors Sarah Nacos, Megan Strabala and Allison Vogel are all returning this year.

?They have all played well throughout the year and performed well in the state tournament.

?Sophomore Carlie Burlingame made tremendous strides from the beginning of the year last year.

?She has a lot more confidence and will be an integral part of our squad this year.

One newcomer is junior Kristin Twinam.

?She is brand new and wants to give golf a shot, so we welcome her.? Also joining the team are freshmen Emily Waite and Kaitlyn Mitchell.

As far as working together as a team, it will happen.

?Everybody has a role to play,? Kull says. ?Out of these seven, six will be on the varsity team. I wouldn?t be surprised that everyone gets to play on that team at different times just because they are out and involved.

?We have an ambitious schedule that we changed dramatically since last year. We will have to wait and see how that plays itself out.?

The girls have a little bit of a different schedule than the boys.

?Unlike the boys, the girls get to play 5A schools,? Kull says. ?We will also play on a course we haven?t played on in a while this year, Honey Creek.

?We are looking forward to that experience. We are really upbeat. The girls are working hard and we are looking forward to the first meet in April in Keokuk.?

There is always a challenge in the game, but it doesn?t come from the caliber of players from the bigger schools.

?We try to schedule with some smaller schools that have a tradition for playing well. I think our ladies don?t worry about it.

?They have played against tough competition for quite some time whether it?s from a 5A school or not.

?One thing about a 5A school is that they have a good place to play, such as an 18-hole course.

?As for the quality, we have to be on our best behavior whoever we play because we try to play as good a competition as possible and our idea is when you do that, it will bring confidence that you can play anywhere with anybody. Generally, that helps things fall into place.?

The last two years, the girls team has played in the state tournament. Is that a goal again this year?

?It?s hard for me to answer that because we don?t start the year with those kinds of goals.

?What we start with is ?how can I work every day so that I get better?? I have never really been worried too much about wins and losses.

?Most of the time, I concentrate on playing to the potential you have. If you can keep improving that potential, then the wins and losses and all the other accolades and awards fall into place. That?s my philosophy. The girls bought into that which I appreciate.

?Last year, we were state champions, but we lost three or four meets simply because we were outplayed.

?You just can?t worry about it. You just to do the best you can the next time out. Certainly, we have the mindset that if we do improve and get better individually and to our potential, those things like getting to state will happen.

?I don?t start the year looking forward down the line that is an ultimate goal. We may get to that position, we may not.

?If we can say at the end of the year that we gave it our best effort and we did everything we could, then we will just be happy with what we have.?

For everyone coming back this year, what is the starting point?

?I just start over. However far we came as an individual, you will have to decide what that is and start over.

?I?m really pleased with the fact that the young ladies are trying to do their best, get better every day, learn the rules, and try to learn the tough game of golf.

?If you can have the right mindset, you?ll be better off in the long run.?