final day

We did it...made it through the final day of the '08 Nationals. Once again for me it was an extremely long day with Karla playing in the morning and Jordan teeing it up in the afternoon, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. With that set-up, though it was a little hectic on the turn-around from one round to the other, I was able to spend uninterrupted time with each player. It was a great experience for me as a coach to observe both of them through an entire competitive round with all the ups and downs that happen. It was also fascinating for me to make the adjustments from one competitive personality to the other and believe me, they are both very competitive yet have very different personalities. For me, it was a blast!

Concerning each of their rounds from day 4, I'm sure from their standpoint there are maybe more disappointments than feelings of accomplishment. Karla got off to a slow start, I believe from "trying too hard". She finally settled in to having some fun and pulled off some shots that surprised her. Once again, though, the putter was not a friendly club and when that is the case, the score always suffers. It's a very tough thing to battle your way for 18 holes to get the ball on the green, only to see the ball slip past the hole, on the edge of the cup all day long. I've seen many a professional player react with frustration to that situation. To Karla's credit, though very disappointed and frustrated, she remained pleasant and the model of good sportsmanship.

Jordan also had a round of mixed results. Once again, starting on the back nine she came out with guns ablazin', posting another -1 35 for her first nine. Then we got to the dreaded front nine and despite both of our efforts to keep it going, bogies started accumulating. After stemming the tide with a solid par on her 14th hole and following that with a birdie at 15, I thought she was back on solid ground for a good finish...oops, just when you think you've got this game figured out and relax for a moment, it jumps up and bites you. I'm not sure if it was a little loss of concentration from getting too relaxed, a little fatigue from the long week, trying too hard, or just the tough conditions of 20 mph winds and very firm greens, but unfortunately the last 3 holes were tough ones for Jordan. Despite it all, she still managed to bring it in with her third round in the 70's and an overall finish for the tournament tied for 13th out of 111 players.

As the coach, there are many things about the week that made me very proud. First of all, to have 2 players qualify to the National tournament as individuals was great. I truly enjoyed working with both Jordan and Karla as intensely as we worked. They put in long hours and though their results left them both wanting for better, that's OK. It was a great experience in many ways. To play in this elite field was one thing; to know you belong there and that there is room for improvement hopefully will inspire them the next year(s) to get at their games, get back to the tournament next year with something to prove. Individual championships are entirely possible for both of them, but not without some dedicated and motivated work between now and then.

For some final thoughts and pictures from the week, check out my next and final entry.

Martha