Junior Dajah Sheehy joined the girls golf team because her friend wanted them to. Sophomore Carliyah Griffin, who is the only returning member from last year, joined to have something to do after returning to school after the COVID pandemic.
The Merrillville girls golf team has been around for years, but this year in particular, it has an abundance of members in comparison to the past seasons.
According to Coach Joshua Belko, there are currently 12 members on the team. This is a drastic change in comparison to last year, where there were only five.
“A lot of it is just girls who wanted to play and got a couple of their friends to join as well, but it’s one of those things that run in a cycle where you have some years where you’re going to have more; you have some years where you’re going to have a little bit less. Hopefully, we can keep it on more stable footing,” Belko said.
Though this is Senior Nivea Anderson’s first year on Merrillville’s team, this is not her first time ever playing golf.
“I started golf in ninth grade at Calumet, and I didn’t think I would like it at first, but then I did it, and it was actually pretty cool, and I met some pretty cool people when I was doing it,” Anderson said.
The girls are all enjoying their season so far, where they have all bonded right away.
“This season is pretty good. It’s my second year. My scores are getting lower which is really good,” Griffin said. “The lower you score, the better, so I’ve been enjoying it so far.”
Griffin, being the only member on the team that was on it the previous season, has seen differences between this season and last.
“Scoring wise, yes. I love the team this year, and last year too. Everyone’s really great,” Griffin said.
The girls on the team have all developed a close relationship. Sheehy decided to join the girls golf team with her close friends Chloe Smith and Abigail Elenz.
“Everyone is just really nice because it’s such a small team, everyone just talks to each other. We just get how it can be frustrating, but you just gotta keep doing it ‘til the game ends,” Sheehy said.
Sheehy believes that more people should join the sport because it is so underrated.
“It’s fun. Not many people know about the sport, but it’s actually pretty fun,” she said.
Griffin also encourages those who like the outdoors and are looking for a sport that is easy going to join the girls golf team.
With Sectionals this Friday, it is a little too late to join the team for this current season. However, it is still possible to play golf after the season’s end.
“Come winter and spring, we will be doing open swings, where we’ll teach you guys the basics,” Coach Belko said.