This isn't breaking news, but there is so much confusion in our society right now. To localize it for the great Arizona Varsity readers, the questions continue to raise on whether there will be sports for collegiate and high school athletes this fall... or at all... this school year.
It seems like forever ago now, but it wasn’t long ago that I was a high school athlete. By no means was I a standout performer playing for Charlie Wilde on the Pinnacle High basketball team, but for so many years, sports played an enormous role in my life. I worked hard in school for sports, my friends were mostly from sports, my television and video game consumption was sports (I think you get the picture). I cannot even fathom how difficult this has been for kids who live their life the same way I did, even moreso for the ones who can use it to fuel a promising future for themselves.
I listened in on a school board meeting a couple weeks ago, to gauge how discussions are going about how districts and schools plan to attack the upcoming year. It’s looking more and more like virtual learning from home is a forgone conclusion, a decision will most certainly mean no sports, or at the very least a delay.
I’m absolutely concerned about this virus, as well as how horribly Arizona has been affected. I work with someone who lives in Cypress, all the way on the other side of the globe, and she emailed me to ask if my family and I are ok in Arizona. They are talking about ARIZONA in the Middle East!
One of my biggest concern since this all began is mental health, especially for kids who have had the rug pulled out from under their lives and their childhood over the last several months. No sports, little contact with friends, no going to the movies or walking around a mall Poof! All the typical teenage outlets gone!
Allow me to switch gears... While all this has gone on, one thing has remained constant in Arizona: Golf
For the most part, golf courses have been able to stay open for those who want to get outside, be active and have a great distraction for the stresses we're all dealing with right now. Personally, golf has been there for me my entire adult life, not just in the nightmarish 2020. Some folks clear their minds through walking or running, some through reading, some through binging television, but for me, it’s always been golf. There’s something about that damn white ball that both excites and frustrates me to the point to where it’s consumes my entire focus for a good four to five hours. When I’m done and come back down to earth, I feel rejuvenated.
I think golf could be a great potential solution for student athletes who are going through what I mentioned above. Golf is one of the greatest sports in terms of combining physical activity with focus. It’s perfect for being outside, soaking in some Vitamin D and breathing some fresh air- plus there’s no sport better for social distancing right now, as it’s the only one where you could quite literally never come in contact with another person.
While you may be thinking to yourself 'kids want to be active and golf is slow and not for elite athletes,' what people don’t realize is that pro golfers have train themselves to be in incredible shape just to be able to be competitive. When you see Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka or Jason Day, these guys are in as good a shape as any (Plus, there's always Phil Mickelson's calves). The strength and conditioning these guys are putting on their swings to send these golf balls on crazy distances has completely changed the game.
“Golf is a game of a lifetime” is something that Tim Mahoney, Global Director of Coaching/Education for Troon Golf (and the former coach of Billy Mayfair and David Duval), always says to his students. I'm vouching that this is absolutely true! A kid could pick up a club at 12, and still be playing when they're 92. They could be playing between practicing to get their drivers license, celebrating their last hurrah before getting married, teaching their kids to play, playing while closing a million dollar business deal and playing during their retirement with friends they’ve known for 50-60 years. So if you're trying to think of what to do with your kids to help get them (and yourself) through this agonizing time, think about something that could not only help them now, but for the rest of their lives. Golf could very well be the medicine that many need to get through 2020- that's what it's been for me.
