GOLF SWINGS INTO ACTION
Co-ed golf team indulges in short but sweet season MAYA AMMAN COPY & NEWS EDITOR
U
nlike many other sports at McLean, the golf team did not have to undergo drastic changes in order to participate in their season. “It’s actually really refreshing to see that golf hasn’t really changed much because of the pandemic,” junior Tommy Lam said. Despite being relatively restrictionfree, the golf team still had to follow the COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the Virginia High School League (VHSL) in order to practice safely. “Practices and tryouts have not really differed too much due to COVID, as golf is already a fairly socially distant sport,” varsity golf head coach Ryan Abrams said. “Just having to follow protocols, including signing in, wearing masks and not being allowed to share equipment, is what makes it slightly different.” With their last practice before the shutdown happening all the way back in October 2019, the team was finally able to reunite after over a year of no play. While the golf team usually tees up in the fall, VHSL’s shuffling of the sports seasons had them
starting tryouts in the middle of February. “Unfortunately, moving our season to the early spring has been very hard,” senior Luke Pedulla said. “Normally, we play in summer weather and don’t have to worry much about weather, but this year we have lost a lot of time to rain, wind and the cold.”
I’M PROUD OF OUR TEAM FOR MAKING THE MOST OF OUR PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.” - LUKE PEDULLA SENIOR In addition to the adjustment of playing in chillier weather, the season was much shorter than the team is used to. “It is always great to get out on the course with the team and put in the work and be able to connect, but it has been rushed, and we are ending when it feels like we just started,” Abrams said. “That is probably the least enjoyable part of this season.”
BAZOOKA — Junior Cab Fooshe hits a line drive down the middle of the fairway at his penultimate match. “I don’t think everyone was playing at their best, I think I was 42 and everyone else was mid 40s-50,” Fooshe said. 42 | SPORTS | APRIL 2021
UN-FORE-GETTABLE — In the team’s last match against Yorktown on March 30, sophomore Ellie Wormser tees off at hole one. The golf season took place during the winter season instead of fall this year. While these unexpected factors have taken their toll on the state of the golf team, the players have found ways to adapt their usual traditions outside of practice to fit the unusual season. “Every year, we normally participate in a fantasy football league, but this year we did an NCAA bracket challenge,” said junior Cab Fooshe, one of the team captains. With little time for practice and very few games in the season, the team did not get the outcome they expected, but they are excited to bounce back stronger than ever in four months when the next season begins. “Our team did not play our best in our matches this year, but I think we are going to have a strong senior season coming up,” Fooshe said. As the end of a season is always bittersweet, the members of the golf team cherished the little time they had together this year and made lasting memories. “I’m proud of the team for making the most of our peculiar circumstances,” Pedulla said. Photos & page design by Maya Amman
