Posted: 4/16/03

Don't bet against them in Hinckley

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

Hinckley is a place where fortunes can be won and lost by the slightest of margins.

The 2002 Forest Lake girls golf team is a case in point and it had nothing to do with the casino. The team felt like it missed a golden opportunity in the Section 7AA meet at Grand National in Hinckley, as the Rangers finished in second place ñÝa mere five strokes behind Grand Rapids.

One stroke here, another there and the Rangers felt like they could have been at state as a team for the first time since 1998.

And since none of the golfers that day for the Rangers were seniors, they decided to make a pact. So, they stood on the deck of Grand National, overlooking the golf course and made the pact together to do whatever it took to return in 2003 and win the section title.

What makes the pact even more important is that the 2003 season will be the last together for the core group of golfers on the Rangersí roster as four of the main group of players are seniors.

ìThey made the commitment last year,î Forest Lake coach Bill Loushine said. ìState is what itís all about.î

Leading the way for the Rangers is senior Krista Swanson. For her, state is what it has been all about in her five previous years as a varsity golfer.

She was a seventh-grader on the section championship team of 1998 and she has qualified for the meet at Bunker Hills each year since as an individual.

In each of those years, Swansonís finish in the AA girls portion of the meet has gotten progressively higher. Last year she continued her annual climb up the leaderboard with a third-place finish. After shooting an 83 on the first day of the state meet last year, Swanson rebounded with a 2-over 75 on the second day to earn her highest finish ever.

Swanson, a University of Montana golf recruit, finished behind a pair of seniors, making her the top returning golfer from the state meet.

Loushine calls her, ìthe odds-on No. 1 golfer in the state.î

And for the first time in her career, Swanson can take to the course without any questions as to her future. There are no coaches to impress and no pressure to put up scores to get a scholarship.

She has that now and Swanson should be able to go out and play with a free mind and a lot of confidence, Loushine said.

ìShe should be able to enjoy her senior year,î he said. ìShe should be able to go out and perform and not have to worry about tomorrow and what she wants to do (for college).î

As much state meet experience as Swanson brings to the course with her, sheís not the only Ranger with such experience.

Senior Christie Brink qualified for state as an individual two years ago and is a solid compliment to Swanson, giving the Rangers a potent 1-2 combination.

Brink plays on the Junior PGA circuit in the summer and plan to take her game to Concordia-Moorhead next year.

Laura Henry, another of Forest Lakeís seniors, returns this year and she also may golf in college ñÝpossibly at Augsburg or Concordia-Moorhead, Loushine said.

Brink and Henry each shot a 91 in the Section 7AA meet a year ago and they will be counted on for consistent scores throughout the season, Loushine said.

Those three will form one of the top trios in both the section and the Suburban East Conference, Loushine said, and itís important they play with that kind of confidence ñ not to mention a sense of urgency.

ìTheyíve got to say, ëthis is our year and this is it.í They are a solid group of three and this is the year they can go out, walk on the course and say, ëwe are the best,íî Loushine said.

Forest Lakeís fourth senior is Kristina Willcoxen, and while she did not post one of the top five scores at the section meet last year for the Rangers, Loushine said her score will need to count on a fairly regular basis this year.

The fifth major piece to the Forest Lake puzzle is sophomore Sarah Berger, who posted a 98 at Grand National last year. Loushine said it will be up to those five to post the Rangersí top scores until younger and more inexperienced golfers are able to improve.

Among the group of young golfers Loushine has this year is Jen Doriott, Kelly Keefe, Tiffany Radden, Jenna Lee, Rachel Martin, Lauryn Parkos and Ashley Weeda.

Itís the largest number of golfers Loushine has had on the team in several years and the Forest Lake coach said his experienced golfers have been excited about helping the new golfers.

ìTheyíve been great,î Loushine said. ìI think they know the harder they work with the younger girls, the better things will go for the whole team.

ìThese seniors are really working with the young kids. But the big thing for the younger girls will be how much work they put in during June and July so that they can come back next year as better players than they came into this year as.î

Yet, as Loushine said, this year the emphasis will be on trying to send the four seniors out with a section championship and trip to state as a team.

The Rangers may have gotten a little help along the way as the Section 7AA meet has been expanded to two days.

In essence, the 18 extra holes should make Swansonís score an even bigger advantage and it should reward the more consistent team, which Loushine hopes is his Rangers.

And by the time Memorial Day Weekend rolls around and the Rangers are ready for a return to Grand National and a shot at a section title, Loushine said he hopes to have that depth and consistency he thinks will be the difference.

ìThe key is going to be the experience that we have,î he said. ìAnd the girls with that experience have to help the ones who are inexperienced so that by the time we get to the section meet at the end of the season, we have six competitive golfers.î

Top of Page