With the 2013 season officially over, the golf team has quite a lot of victories to celebrate. The team finished with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses. On top of that, two members made it to WPIALs and the entire team returned to playoffs after a 10 year wait.
Hard work and dedication clearly paid off this year for the student athletes. For the first time in 10 years, Freedom’s varsity golf team made it to the playoffs. The team was one of 20 to advance to the WPIAL Class AA semi-finals. “[Making playoffs] felt great. [It was] the first time in so long, and it was nice to be a part of that,” Sophomore Stu Skogsholm said.
The most successful part of the season for Coach Aaron Fitzpatrick was making playoffs. “The credit belongs to the golfers because it was through their hard work and practice that they were able to accomplish [making playoffs] that, but it was great to be along for the ride,” Fitzpatrick said.
Not only did the players find success as a team, but individual goals were also met. Seniors Kris Skogsholm and Jessica Canonge both qualified for WPIALs this year.
“I missed it by three shots last year, so I was glad I made it this year. I worked really hard,” Skogsholm said. “[WPIALs] was a pretty fun experience, [getting to] go to the country club with a lot of other really good golfers.”
Canonge is also the only female golfer in Freedom history to make it to both playoffs and WPIALs. “[Qualifying for WPIALs] was exciting. Ever since I was a freshman, that had been my goal with golf. It was rewarding to finally make it my senior year,” Canonge said.
There are a total of 14 golfers on the team between varsity and junior varsity players. Of that number, six of them are seniors. Almost half of the team will be lost next year, but the players have faith in the rest of the team. “I’m positively looking forward [to success] for them. I want them to find success; I’d like to see them go back to the playoffs,” Senior Christian Edder said.
The golf team encourages students to practice and give it a try next season. Kris Skogsholm suggests that aspiring athletes “start in the summer, get lessons and work a lot.”
“We’re always looking for more golfers to join the ranks,” Fitzpatrick said. “ Like most sports, golf is one of those things you have to practice to improve. Golf can be expensive, but what better way to practice and improve than by playing and practicing for free [with the golf team]? You don’t have to be a professional to join the team.”