The Warriors Golf Team
Who they are and how to support them.
When we think of the Warriors, we often expect the volleyball or soccer teams to be brought up. Images of Hannah Bridges’ elegant sets and Javier Gadea-Sanchez’s epic goals cross our minds. We remember the basketball teams, Michelle Morara’s crossovers and fake-outs and Michael Boit’s three point shots, as well as the Gymnairs’ high tosses and confident flips. But, did you know that the Warriors also include a golf team?
The golf team consists of fifteen guys and one coach: sixteen all together. They are from all different backgrounds and are working on all different majors, the sport bringing them together to do something they enjoy. These men gather once a week to practice their swings, short game, and putting. Whether it’s warm and sunny or if the air is so cold they can hardly hold their clubs, small groups of team members will head out to golf courses in or around the Lincoln area. And if driving out to a golf course seems like too much for that day, they can utilize the mats and nets hooked up to two golf launch monitors on the stage of the Thunderdome. With this technology, they can simulate golf courses all around the world, including all the courses right here in Nebraska. They practice throughout the fall, taking a winter break, and then it’s back at it again when the spring season hits.
Springtime usually means tournaments against other universities (mainly Doane University and Nebraska Wesleyan University). The golf team will don their UAU golf polos and hats, gather their things in UAU golf bags, and set out to compete. So far, only one tournament has been set up, the rest of the schedule is still in the works. The tournaments are usually 18 hole stroke-play. This means each person playing keeps their own score as well as the scores of their group members and opposing team’s scores. This ensures fair play. After the round, they gather at the clubhouse to turn in the scorecards. The lowest scores determine the winner.
Jair Sosa, a junior IT major from Minnesota and a second year team member, said this when asked about what he enjoys about the team: “Honestly, I love being able to play golf with others who also love golf. The team has introduced me to people I would have never approached otherwise, and I think it's created lifelong friendships.”
So yes, Union not only has basketball, volleyball, soccer, and acrobatics, but also golf. When the spring season comes around, make sure to take your cheers outside to the golf course to support the UAU golf team!
by Sami Hoffer