East Mecklenburg High School’s women’s golf team has nearly doubled in size this season, growing from eight to 15 member. This growth raises questions about what led to the sudden rise in interest. Whatever the reason, the change happened and sparked inspiration throughout East Meck.
They started the season strong with thier three top golfers, junior Veronika Campbell and seniors Jordan Moore and Anna Brown, shooting under 50 in a match against Palisades High School. This makes it the first time in East Mecklenburg Women’s Gold history that’s left a good impression for the incoming golf athletes and opposing teams.
“We’ve got a lot of freshman and other seniors who have stepped up,” Coach Ingrid Hawkins said. The scores have dropped drastically, which is only motivating these students-athletes even more. The drop in scores has increased expectations for the athletes and the coaching this year.
“I would be surpised if we do not come second in the conference this year,” Hawkins said. The expectation sets the bar higher for these athletes, dealing with these expectations means putting in a lot more effort.
Being heavily invloved in more things than just golf, causes a lot of challenges for the team. Hawkings is a very lenient coach, knowing the limits of her athletes and how she can help create a better experience for the team.
“[Hawkins] also understands if people can’t come due to homework and stuff. She is really flexible,” golf athlete Evie Demakis said. Demakis understand that Hawkins puts a strong emphsis on school coming first.
Having such a strong passion for a sport that seems to go unseen can be tough, but for East Meck’s golf team, this is just more motivation to keep them fired up. This desire to keep them fired up. This desire is what pushes the envelope for East Meck Women’s Golf. The drastic increase in members on the team and their scores, created a bright future for the program.
“It’s just kind of that spark that keeps us going,” Demakis said.
