Coming off of an abbreviated 2020 season, the Fords golf team is looking to win yet another Inter-Ac title with a younger, less experienced roster. Sixth Form captains Trey Campbell, Chase Curran, and Bowen Deng will lead the young team.
“I feel like I have big shoes to fill, and it means a lot that I’m a captain now, and this is what I’ve been working for since freshman year,” Deng said.
Curran said, “It was surprising to me becoming a senior leader because it was just my second year of playing golf for school, so I’m very appreciative of that.”
To help combat the unfamiliarity of the team, the three captains understand how important it is to assert their leadership in the first few weeks of the season, starting with the practices leading up to their first match.
“That’s just good to get everyone to play, meet, and get comfortable with the team, because I know that coming in freshman year with sports is tough.”
Trey Campbell ’22
“We’ll have four groups of four that will go out, and the people in each group will always be rotating,” Campbell said. “It will always be maybe one player from each grade or an older kid in a group with three younger kids. That’s just good to get everyone to play, meet, and get comfortable with the team, because I know that coming in freshman year with sports is tough.”
The point of emphasis throughout the first few practices has been appreciating the talent that each player has as opposed to getting caught up in the youth and inexperience of the team.
“Everyone on this team has shown during the summer that they are more than capable of playing an amazing round of golf,” Deng said. I’d say some of them [the underclassmen] can even be the best players on the team on certain days. We just want to make sure that they don’t feel unnecessary pressure and are playing to their max potential.”
To prevent this “unnecessary pressure,” the senior captains have worked with Head Coach Cole Berman ’14 to simulate matches while also having fun during practicing.
“We keep score, but practice is more of just a team bonding activity,” Campbell said. “Having these practices is really more of a way to meet everyone, get everyone comfortable with the team, and give experience in playing tournament golf with pressure, which is what we’ve been trying to do as leaders… just getting everyone together and putting a match together to make sure everyone can feel the pressure that comes with it. When it comes time to play in a tournament or event like EA Day, we want to make sure everyone is used to having those match-like, pressure situations.”
In terms of expectations for the season, the captains do not believe the team’s youth will hinder their success.
“We have a deep team, I think we have twelve-fifteen guys who can all play, and we only need eight, so I think we’ll be consistent and I think we have a good shot at winning the league.”
Chase Curran ’22
“We’re definitely looking to win the whole league,” Curran said. “We have a deep team, I think we have twelve-fifteen guys who can all play, and we only need eight, so I think we’ll be consistent and I think we have a good shot at winning the league.”
“I’m just really excited, we’ve got a young group,” Campbell said, “and I’ve been getting to know a lot of them already, so I’m just excited for the year!”
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