WHAT BEGAN SIMPLY AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VAL SKINNER

“MY FATHER WAS A GOLF PROFESSIONAL. I just wanted to be around him and hang out with him. I THOUGHT HE WAS A COOL DUDE. When he would go out and practice, I would go out and practice,” Skinner said.

Not long after taking up the game at four years old, Skinner saw her work pay o , winning her first tournament three years later and getting the better of a field that included males as well.

“I played in typical junior stu and in that particular event I beat all of the boys, so I was pretty proud of myself,” Skinner said.

Going head-to-head with male competitors became the norm for Skinner. Growing up in a community limited in population, the Nebraska native spent the majority of her time with a pair of boys as playing partners.

“Those two boys and I would just wear out the turf. WE WOULD PLAY 54 OR 63 HOLES A DAY AND JUST GO ROUND AND ROUND. THAT WAS UP UNTIL I WAS 10 OR 11,” SKINNER SAID.

As she approached her teenage years, Skinner’s father relocated the family, providing her with a new crop of competitors to test her skill.

“There were a bunch of guys that were older than me and were really good players, scratch or better. When I was really young, 12 or 13, I played a lot of golf with those guys, and it was really an advantage because you had to hit it hard and you had to hit it far. The competitive edge was a lot of fun. I was really exposed to some good, young male players,” Skinner said.

Growing up in the unpredictable climate of the midwest would seemingly steer someone toward sports other than golf. However, Skinner used the locale, which proved to be the perfect training grounds in advance of her collegiate and professional careers, to her advantage.

“I think it is a big thing for athletes that are really driven to have a break. These kids that play in California and Florida may feel guilty if they aren’t out there working at it every day when the weather is nice. You see a lot of those kids end their careers earlier than players that had a more normal change of season.”

“When you have a change of season, I think playing in all kinds of weather makes you a better player. I think it teaches you how to be more versatile and learn different shots. That was a huge advantage to me when I got on tour and a huge advantage when I was playing at OSU.”

Life in the Midwest also presented Skinner with the opportunity to compete in multiple sports to avoid the burnout factor that often accompanies the grind of an individual sport.

“I LETTERED IN FOUR SPORTS

AT ONE TIME. I ran track and I was a volleyball player and a basketball player. I played a lot of softball. I was a really big sports freak. WHATEVER THE GAME WAS, I WAS INTO IT. I was a competitive person, so I just liked sports,” Skinner said.

As her prep career unfolded, the multitalented Skinner shined brightest with a golf club in her hand, racking up victory after victory. In addition to a pair of high school state titles, she captured 20 victories during her senior season.

Skinner’s prowess did not go unnoticed with schools from coast to coast pursuing her services. In the end, Oklahoma State won out for reasons aplenty.

“There were a lot of scholarship opportunities and I was a good enough player, but a bit of a dark horse. I followed the Big Eight, so I had friends in college that were playing against OSU,” Skinner said.

“I felt it was a good communications school, but also a school that wasn’t too awfully far from home, but was far enough that I was going away to school. The size of the school was so appealing to me because it was a big university, but it was a small town.”

A campus visit sealed the deal and the OSU program landed a player capable of putting the Cowgirl program on the map.

“There were just a lot of things that felt right when I saw the campus. I LOVED THE LOOK OF IT AND I LIKED THE TRADITION OF GOOD BASEBALL AND GOOD WRESTLING. I felt like there was a commitment to golf there in the community with the people in town. There were just a lot of things that mattered to me that lined up,” Skinner said.

And, once again, the men’s side of the sport had an influence on Skinner, who was very aware of the storied Cowboy program.

“One of the things that did impress me and made think about Oklahoma State was the men’s program was so good. I felt like there was a golf tradition there that was unlike any other. I knew Labron Harris was still there and I knew he could be a resource and I knew Mike Holder was an amazing coach and had an unbelievable record,” Skinner said.

On the women’s side, the Cowgirls had a legendary coach in their own right in Ann Pitts, who oversaw the program for more than two decades.

“She had a personality that was good for me. I was a very independent thinker and my father had taught me, so I had a lot of my own opinions about what I wanted to do. She helped you find yourself on the map of going through college and doing all of the other things you were doing as a student-athlete. The balance was appealing to me. COACH PITTS WAS A GOOD COACH FOR ME,” SKINNER SAID.

The balance in life Skinner sought was provided by Oklahoma State and allowed her to immerse herself completely in the college experience and leave Stillwater with fond memories.

“I really loved going to the games and being a part of that and living in the dorm. I went through rush and it was too much for me to take on, so I didn’t end up pledging. I liked the fact that there were a lot of options. I liked ESKIMO JOE’S a lot and would go to the FOX (The Gray Fox Inn) a lot and play pool with the guys. It was just fun. I had fun people around me and I had a good time,” Skinner said.

On the course, Skinner found herself in a familiar situation, squaring o with members of the Cowboy squad.

“I could try to match their record, but those guys were so great. I went to school with a handful of such great players. There have been so many. I was really proud to say I played golf there,” Skinner said.

It was during her time at OSU that Skinner began to see her goal of playing the game at its highest level on the LPGA Tour come to fruition.

“I wanted to play the tour from the time I was young. I don’t even know where it came from. I wasn’t that familiar with the LPGA Tour. I just knew that was what I wanted to do,” Skinner said.

“WHILE I WAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE, I PROVED TO MYSELF THAT AT LEAST I COULD BEAT ALL OF THE OTHER GOOD PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY because I had a schedule that suited that opportunity. It gave me a chance to play against all of those good players and see how good I was. That just continually built confidence.”

For Skinner, knocking o the nation’s best was something that happened regularly, but not initially. After going winless as a freshman during the 1978-79 season, SKINNER BROKE THROUGH WITH THE FIRST OF HER TWO BIG EIGHT TITLES as a sophomore in 1980 before adding a second career victory in 1981 at the Sooner Invitational.

Skinner saved her best for last. AS A SENIOR, SHE WON A SCHOOL-RECORD SIX TIMES, including a string of four consecutive victories as well as her second conference title. Skinner capped her collegiate career with a SEVENTH-PLACE FINISH AT THE INAUGURAL NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1982.

Her play did not go unnoticed. She was named GOLF Magazine’s COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR , the BIG EIGHT FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR and the school’s first-ever WOMEN’S GOLF ALL-AMERICAN . In 1999, she became the first female to be inducted into OSU’s Hall of Honor.

“I loved my sport from top to bottom and I was really into it. It meant a lot to me to be a great player. By the time I got my act together my junior and senior years, my performance continually improved and my grades improved and it was obviously a good choice for me,” Skinner said.

After her historic run, it was time to put Stillwater in the rearview mirror and turn her attention to the professional circuit.

Skinner earned her Tour card at the 1983 LPGA FINAL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT. Two years later, she secured her first LPGA victory in dramatic fashion, winning a playo at the KONICA SAN JOSE CLASSIC against one of the sport’s legendary figures.

“I BEAT PAT BRADLEY IN A PLAYOFF. Pat Bradley is now a Hall of Fame member and one of the greatest players to ever play the women’s game. Capturing my first victory against a player like that was incredibly rewarding,” Skinner said.

Skinner posted a win in each of the next two seasons and put together another three-year run from 1993 to 1995 that saw her log a victory during each season. When it was all said and done, she had tallied six career wins, more than $2.4 million in earnings and was a member of the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup squad in 1996.

The relationships forged are what Skinner speaks of most fondly when recapping her career. Those ties would eventually lead to her future endeavors.

“The camaraderie of being among other great athletes, enjoying their performances and seeing how good they could be …. I think of those times often and I really honored and respected a lot of my fellow professionals. I felt like they were great examples for women’s sports,” Skinner said.

Despite an impressive list of credentials as a player, it has been o the course where Skinner has made her biggest impact.

In 1993, Skinner’s friend and fellow LPGA member HEATHER FARR lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 28. The loss launched Skinner into action.

“When Heather got so sick ... it was a really di cult time on the LPGA. The reason she had the impact she did was because she was really incredible. This was a player that won all of her state championships, won everything in junior golf there was to win with national titles and all of that. She drew the short straw with this disease and what happened to her. It was really unfortunate and it was really hard to watch and it wasn’t ok,” Skinner said.

Before her death, Farr urged Skinner, whom she had known to have an impact beyond the game, to use the platform golf had given her to take action.

“Right before she passed away, we had had a number of visits and she would come out on tour when she was feeling better and spend time with some of us. She was very open with her disease when it was happening. I think it made a di erence to the idea that something like this is necessary. That is how we got started,” Skinner said.

“I HAD ALWAYS BEEN INVOLVED WITH SOMETHING BEYOND GOLF. I just needed that and she gave me marching orders.”

Skinner began to build the VAL SKINNER FOUNDATION. After rolling up her sleeves and beginning her fundraising e orts in 1996, her foundation became a reality four years later.

“It took a while. I started raising money for breast cancer after she passed, but it took a while to establish an initiative just for young women. Some of the big cancer groups that were working on breast cancer … (young women) weren’t the statistic they typically saw. It took a while to convince them, so I just kept raising money and finally I had enough to get their attention,” Skinner said.

“The rest is kind of history.”

Centered around the LIFE (LPGA PROS IN THE FIGHT TO ERADICATE BREAST CANCER) EVENT, an annual golf outing, the foundation has raised funds totaling more than $9.5 million with the RUTGERS CANCER INSTITUTE OF NEW JERSEY and SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE serving as the primary benefactors. The event took place for the 15th consecutive year this past June and annually attracts some of the biggest names the LPGA has to o er.

Through LIFE, funding has been provided for research. Early detection programs have been launched and clinical support has been provided to those affected by the disease. Additionally, Skinner’s foundation has helped fund BIOCONNECT, a high school educational platform, and BOLD, a summer camp for high school students interested in medical sciences.

The nature of golf lends itself to focusing on one’s self, so the unselfishness that came with the cause proved to be fulfilling for Skinner, who has become equally if not more decorated for her work o the course. Now a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Bay Head, N.J., she counts the LPGA Humanitarian Award, Susan G. Komen Award, the Award of Hope from the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Golf Writers Association of America’s Charlie Bartlett Award for unselfish commitment to community service among her list of achievements.

“Golf is a very demanding, selfish sport and I needed to be able to have a little bit of everything. I didn’t feel like I was giving enough of who I was just by being a player,” Skinner said.

After serving 12 years as a commentator for GOLF CHANNEL and CBS , Skinner recently stepped away from the cameras, allowing more time to focus her e orts on helping others.

“I am taking a little break right now. I did it a long time and have traveled a long time. Obviously, I have traveled my entire life, so this has been a breath of fresh air to focus on the foundation,” Skinner said.

“MAKING A DIFFERENCE through something that you are so fortunate, first of all, to be able to do and be in that one percent that can do it well enough to do it professionally HAS BEEN VERY GRATIFYING,” SKINNER SAID.

Like her work, Skinner is equally appreciative of the place she chose to help springboard her to her calling and her place in OSU’s rich athletic history.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and to have such a good fit. I could not be more proud. I take a lot of pride in that and am very proud of my record there, and I am proud of the legacy of Oklahoma State athletics.” the