| It may sound like a bad joke, but it is exactly where the members of the Greece Olympia golf team spent countless hours in the month of March. They weren't reading books on golf or writing term papers. They were putting and chipping, several hours at a time.
"We would have them putt 20 straight putts from 10 feet, then 20 left-to-right putts from 20 feet and so on," Duprau said. "There was no fooling around either. We kept their average and they took it very seriously. I definitely think it set the tone that this was going to be a good season for us as the dedication was definitely there." That type of tenacity is just part of the reason the Spartans have instantly turned around the program.
Coach Rob Duprau had the luxury of having a golf pro help lead these indoor sessions and he took full advantage.
Brook Lea County Club head golf pro John Hoecker was more than happy to help out as two of his children were on the team.
"We worked a lot on technique and it was obvious that that the kids, although all relatively new to the game, had a lot of talent," Hoecker said. "They were all there early and attentive. They are very dedicated to the game of golf." So when the Spartans hit the course this spring, they hit it running. Olympia finished 2008 with just two wins, and despite graduating their top two players from last year, they this week with an 11-4 record and locked up a second place finish in their division.
What is even more impressive about the turnaround is the fact that none of Duprau's starters are seniors and his top player, Chris Hoecker is a freshman.
"I think some of our turnaround was mental, because it is a big part of golf, Chris Hoecker said. "But I think this team definitely got their confidence up and put in the hard work and its definitely paying off." Playing with the boys If you were wondering who Hoecker's other son on the team is, it may take a while to figure out. That's because his other child playing for the Spartans is his daughter Jenna.
Jenna is a soccer player for the Spartans girls varsity team and since their soccer season coincides with the girls golf season, Jenna is unable to play with the girls.
And since her game is very polished for a 16-year-old, she decided this year to tryout to compete with the boys. "At first I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how people would react and the only person I knew (on the team) was my brother," she said. "But everyone was really nice to me. I was looking forward to the challenge of making the team." And her golf has spoken for itself. Jenna is averaging 45.5 on the year and is the team's third golfer behind brother Chris (42.5) and sophomore Dan Giordano who is averaging a 43 in his first season of varsity golf.
It is very rare that a brother and sister compete on the same varsity team and the two have a pretty standard relationship for dedicated athletes -competitive but supportive.
Jenna was quick to point out that she beat her brother in a match last week.
"There are a lot of bragging rights involved," Jenna joked.
But coach Duprau also noted that Chris was the first to text his sister to find out how she did in the Satelite Tournament last week, an event for golfers to qualify the Tournament of Champions (she shot 90 for 18 holes and missed the cut by nine strokes).
"They both want to beat each other but they both care about the other one and want them to do well," Duprau said. "They play a lot togeth- er and the respect is definitely there." Duprau also said there was no hesitation from the other members of the team on accepting Jenna.
"They saw how well she played and they wanted her on the team immediately because they knew that she could help us win." Jenna is just one of the young talents on this team.
Giordano played in the prestigious Corning Classic and shot a 74. He also has ties to professional golf as his brother Davidde is an assistant pro at Oak Hill Country Club.
Olympia's fourth starter is junior Ryan Grace. Sophomore Joe Bonaldi has already had much success in wrestling for the Spartans and is golfing well in the No. 5 spot as is freshman Matt Hanna at No. 6. Even exhibition players Bobby Drexler, Brandon Cox and Christian Cenzi all have the ability to crack the starting lineup. "I think one of the keys to having a successful program is to find the good young talent," Duprau said. "We are at somewhat of a disadvantage in the fact that we do not have a modified of junior varsity team, so the fact that this team is performing so well at the varsity level is even that much more impressive." Chris Hoecker and Giordano will both be competing in today's Tournament of Champions, with the possibility of competing at sectionals on the line.
But regardless of what happens, with all the youth and talent Olympia has, this is a program that is poised to become one of the best in Monroe County in years to come.
"The growth from last year to this is very apparent," Duprau said. "We were within a few points of division winner Churchville this year, so with another year under our belt, this team certainly can be right there with all of the best teams around." Mike bailey is a sports writer for Messenger Post Media.
|
|
ADRIAN KRAUS/ MESSENGER POST Greece Olympia's Jenna Hoecker chips onto the second green during Friday afternoon's match against Eastridge and Gates at Durand Eastman Golf Course. Hoecker is one reason the Spartans have turned into a winning program. ADRIAN KRAUS/ MESSENGER POST Greece Olympia's Danny Giordano is just a sophomore but is playing at No. 2 for the Spartans.
| |
