The girls’ golf team tees off at 10 a.m. at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel on the first day of the State Finals, marking their fourth-consecutive State Finals appearance.
Last season, the team tied for runner-up honors, which has placed additional pressure on players like senior Ellie Adkission, who is playing in the state finals for the first time.
“It kind of [puts pressure on me] a little bit,” Adkisson said. “It’s always good to go with no expectations, but you still need goals, so I definitely think a goal would be to do better than last year, or at least as good as we did last year.”
The Trojans’ path to the state finals was a bit easier this season than it has been in the past.
“The first two years [of my high school career] were definitely more difficult because we had a tougher regional,” senior Camille Short said. “This year was a little easier to get out because the teams weren’t as strong, but we still had to take care of business and make sure we [won].”
Some of the Trojans’ wins can be attributed to their mental toughness in key situations, which Short attributes to a change in practice.
“I think this year’s [preparation] has been different than past years,” Short said. “We’ve been working with a mental coach, which has helped us set our game plan. Obviously [we’re] still working on the physical skills like our swing and all, but adding the mental aspect of the game has [also] been a great help.”
Part of the focus in these sessions has been the learning to control what they can control.
“Golf is very mental and about going through our routine. If you hit a bad shot, accept it and move on,” Short said. “We know at Prairie View it’s a tough course, and we’re going to make mistakes. We know we’re going to make them, and we just try to limit them and when they do happen, we have a good mindset of how to bounce back.”
Apart from the mental game, another thing that will be integral to the Trojans’ success will be their familiarity with the course.
“With football or tennis or basketball, it’s the same court all the time,” Adkisson said. “Sure it’s in a different place but it’s the same setup. With golf, it’s always a different setup. You never know what you’re going to get yourself into unless you go there beforehand.”
As they scheduled matches this season, Coach Cale Hoover made sure to take the team to Prairie View several times, both for matches and practice.
“We had the State Preview there, a match against Floyd Central there and then on Tuesday we had a practice round for state,” Short said. “Also, on Labor Day weekend, the team went out and played a practice round on our own just to gain more knowledge of the course.”
In the end, the Trojans will look to place their confidence in their ability and the process that got them to the finals.
“I think if we just play our own games, and if we do our best then nobody can beat us,” Short said. “We’re pretty confident in what we’re doing and looking forward to it.”
