On Oct. 25 at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, the Bonita Vista High (BVH) varsity girls’ golf team lost their California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to Torrey Pines High (TPH) by a margin of 75 points. Regardless, the Lady Barons were anything but mad about the outcome as they were instead met with an opportunity to learn and grow as athletes.
Before playing against TPH, the girls’ golf team was set to play against Point Loma High (PLH) and Mission Hills High (MHH), but due to unforeseen circumstances, these teams dropped out. This resulted in BVH competing against TPH whose golf team is notorious for winning state championships. Their lack of hard feelings was somewhat caused by the sportsman-like nature of golf in general. Despite this loss, the BVH girls’ golf team remained in high spirits until the end.
“I certainly think it was a great experience to play against one of the top schools. I don’t necessarily see [the game] as a loss. More so a way of learning to get better,” BVH girls’ golf athlete sophomore Andrea Roman said.
Not only did the BVH girl’s golf team play against a challenging team, but they entered a new territory because Torrey Pines Golf Course was an entirely new playing field for them. Having determination was just the tip of the iceberg to push through the game and give it their all.
“We have heard that [the golf course] was a challenging one because it is super hilly. However, we were excited to go experience and play a new course, which was about an hour and fifteen minutes away. We didn’t feel as prepared so it was nerve-wracking, but also an exciting moment for us,” BVH girls’ golf athlete and junior Sophia Hirsch said.
As expressed, TPH is a CIF powerhouse school, so being nervous was nothing out of the ordinary, but the girls saw this as an opportunity to improve no matter the outcome. BVH girls’ golf athlete and junior Abigail Pilar was grateful for having a chance to play against a top school as her first golf CIF game.
With the opportunity to measure their personal growth against such a high quality opponent, the Lady Barons entered the match with low expectations and high spirits. Despite their apathy for the outcome of the event, the Lady Barons felt a slight degree of pressure to deliver because it was their last game with their Captain and senior Alexis Acosta.
“This is our last game of the season and we should make it count. We also had the fact that it was [Acosta’s] last game playing with us in the back of our minds. Throughout the season, you think ‘Okay, it’s another match, let’s try and do our best,’ but this was different because it was our last match of the season with our captain as well,” Hirsch said.
The Lady Barons were able to create a satisfactory end to their postseason run. Although the match ended with them ultimately losing, the Lady Barons’ sense of pride could not be squashed by their shortcomings.
“The game as a whole was well rounded and we did the best that we could. We shouldn’t be upset about the outcome of it because we deserved to play against TPH. We managed to become the top six team and top sixteen teams in the county playing CIF” Hirsch said.
The experience proved to be a moment for the Lady Barons to focus on the ways that they have improved throughout the season. The team competed at their best, and they got to see how the elements of their gameplay have increased in quality since the beginning of the season. Hirsch mentioned focusing on a more positive mindset and ways to alleviate stress as specific observable factors of improvement.
“For future games, my goal is to be more positive and mindful as a whole. There were some games this past season where I was pretty tough on myself and I think I speak for the team when I say we’re all really tough on ourselves,” Hirsch said. “Collectively as a team, we should have a positive mentality and less negative thoughts when going into games as we’re always expecting more from ourselves.”
As Hirsch mentioned, the individual nature of golf makes the players of the sport more self critical, and in some cases negative. Without the emotional backing of a tight-knit team, it would be difficult to operate as a golfer. Pilar mentions just how close the team is.
“I view the team as a family, we’re all sisters in a way so when we mess up it’s nothing and we don’t stress too much about it. When we play together, we have fun moments and we lean on each other when needed,” Pilar said.
Despite this loss, all these girls look forward to playing golf for the rest of their high school careers. This team is progressing through the ranks as a result of the players’ tenacity both individually and collectively. Their perseverance and hard effort paid off as they reached CIFs.
“I definitely see myself playing golf for the rest of my life. It’s that hobby you can continue in your 80s or even 90s. I’m definitely going to be one of those golfers, but right now I’m eager for what’s to come in my senior year playing golf,” Hirsch said.
