Undefeated Golf Team
Hudson – At 4 pm on brisk fall afternoons, most sports teams at Western Reserve Academy begin practice on campus. For the golf team, however, that time looks different. At 4 pm on weekdays, members of the golf team find themselves on the first tee box at Lake Forest Country Club, looking down the fairway on the par 5 hole 1. Christian Brunso ’24 cuts the air with his drive and lands the ball in the middle of the fairway.
The Western Reserve Academy golf team has been improving all season as demonstrated by its September 27th win over Lake Center Christian School at Lake Forest Country Club in Hudson. Their impressive 12-1 record reflects the hard work put into the team.
WRA introduced signature programs in the 2021-2022 school year. However, all teams including the signature programs are performing at high levels. This leaves the school with questions about the difference between the two team types.
Coach Closen, Varsity Golf Coach, believes that there is no advantage or disadvantage to being a signature sport or not. He stated, “A team can bring upon its success and failures on their own without designation.” Coach Closen also wanted to keep in mind that in the large arena of high school sports in America, there is always going to be a better team. He says there is always a team out there that can beat you, so you need to focus on only yourselves and the team you are playing against.
The golf team captain, Tommy Siegenthaler ’22, believes the difference in being a signature sport is the attention the sport receives. Tommy stated that for non-signature teams, such as golf, the biggest issue is facilities and scheduling for practices and games. Tommy did not want the diligent work of the athletic department to be overlooked. He believes that with the effort of the department to find new practice facilities, the golf team improved immensely in their endeavors to keep winning. Tommy recognized that the golf team, along with all other teams, could become signature teams in the future with continued success. Having promising sports teams can be important for recruiting new students to the school and so Tommy’s goal is to make the golf team one of the selling points to prospective students before he graduates.
Meanwhile as Christian Brunso approaches his ball in the fairway at Lake Forest Country Club, his teammates by his side, he does not think about whether or not he is a signature athlete; he just thinks about his next shot. He is encouraged by his teammates and coaches to strive to be the best athlete he can be. This objective remains the same for all sports at WRA.
The Golf team is going to finish with a similar record as to what they started with. With a recent win in an 18-hole match vs Kiski and a loss against Shaker Heights, the team is going to finish the season successfully.
From the WRA community to these players—good job!
– Gavin Liegl ’23
The Reserve Record 