Valpo U Golf Team Welcomes Another McCoy

Think about all the energy wasted by golfers explaining their rounds in words that come after “but” when asked what they shot. “But if I hadn’t lost one chip shot out of 13”, or “But it’s with three three putts in the back, so without those I would have shot…” or “It was a pretty good drive, but the ball hit the path of the cart and made an unlucky bounce out of bounds, so instead of… ”

Golf takes all the wasted words “woulda, shoulda, coulda”, chews them up, spits them out and asks a cold question, “What did you shoot?” He leaves no room for ifs and buts. And that’s how college golfers shoot qualifying rounds with more teammates than there are places to compete in the next tournament.

Chesterton High senior golfer Katelyn McCoy didn’t let the reality of facing stiff competition in qualifying deter her from choosing the Division I school where she wants to pursue her golf careers and education.

Flanked by her mother and future coach, Jill McCoy, and her father, Ryan McCoy, Chesterton senior golfer Katelyn McCoy signs a national letter of intent to attend the University of Valparaiso. SUPPLIED / photo

McCoy signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Valparaiso, where her mother, Jill, happens to be the head coach of the women’s golf team.

As is the case with many high school golfers who choose college, Katelyn knows she will need to improve to be a part of the roster, and she plans to do so.

When asked to name the area of ​​her game that she needed to sharpen the most, she didn’t lean on the generic “everything” nonresponse crutch. She didn’t hesitate.

“Definitely my little game,” McCoy said. “Getting on and off for the pars will definitely help me improve. “

McCoy said she finds the short game interesting, a view shared by many golfers.

“There’s a lot of variety, a lot of different exercises, and that makes it more enjoyable,” McCoy said. “It’s certainly not boring, and you can see a lot of improvements very quickly while working on your shooter.”

Katelyn shared an exercise, learned from her mom, that she enjoys doing. She said she took each club from her 7 iron at its 56-degree corner to the practice area and kept track of what she was doing with each club at each distance. For example, when working on the distance range that she finds most difficult, 40 yards to 60 yards, she will hit the 40 yard stroke with each club and do the same from 45, 50, 55 and 60 yards, and will keep detailed notes on which club is performing best. That way, regardless of the awkward distance, she hits a shot with a club that she has used successfully at that distance, and therefore has reason to hit the shot with confidence.

The Sand Creek Country Club, where Jill is the Director of Education, is Valpo’s home course. When the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championship was held at Sand Creek, it was the first Valley Championship event in all sports with Valpo as the host.

Katelyn’s familiarity with the tricks of the course to help her make the transition to college golf.

She named the Marsh as her favorite of the three nine-hole courses that make up Sand Creek.

“He’s the one I’ve played the most and know the best,” she said. “I kind of know exactly where I need to hit the shot on each hole, which makes it more fun.”

Even though her mom is the coach, Katelyn said she went through the same steps as any other recruiter on a school recruiting visit.

“I chose to go visit Valpo first and after the tour and meeting everyone, I knew it was the right decision, and that’s where I wanted to be,” he said. she declared.

Spending time with current team members was part of his visit.

“I love how encouraging and accepting they were and they’re all very nice and they all work very hard,” she said.

Vacation Baseball Camp on the Bridge

The Chesterton High School Baseball Vacation Camp, open to aspiring baseball players in Grades 3 through 8, will run for four days (December 27-30) at Chesterton High in the Sports Complex. For students in Grades 3 to 5, instruction takes place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Education in Grades 6 to 8 takes place from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The cost of the four day camp is $ 50 and includes a t-shirt. Campers are encouraged to bring a mask, water, cap, glove, bat, helmet, and any position specific gear, such as catcher’s gear or a first baseman’s glove. Chesterton baseball coaches and current and past players will teach campers the fundamentals of baseball. Camp fees can be paid at the CHS sports office or before the start of the first day of camp. Contact Spencer Sutton with any questions at Spencersutton77@gmail.com.

Mitey Mites mighty mighty

For absolute dominance, no Chesterton sports team can match the Chesterton Mighty Mites, who ended their season 12-0 with another shutout, winning the Indiana Pop Warner Mitey Mite State Championship, 35-0. The team’s trophy case was already filled with materials obtained from winning the MidAmerica Pop Warner 9U Regional Championship and the MidAmerica Pop Warner Mitey Mite Regional Championship. For the season, the Chesterton Mitey Mites, coached by Ryan Peterson and assistants Scott Richmond, Ben Riesenberg, Tony Morrison and Bevan Coulopoulos, have scored 408 points and allowed 18.