Royal golf team has challenges, opportunities
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 7 months AGO
Royal High School golfers Esven Espino, left, and Trevor Dorsing make their way to their balls at the Royal City Golf Course Tuesday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Royal High School golfer Molli Klefbeck, left, and Assistant Coach Collin Christensen practice at the Royal City Golf Course Tuesday.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | March 13, 2024 12:30 AM
ROYAL CITY — The Royal High School golf team has an uphill climb ahead of it this year, said coach Pete Christensen.
“We had high hopes until a couple of our boys went back to playing soccer,” Christensen said. “They played soccer their freshman year and came to golf last year and they did really well in golf and they went back to soccer this year. We thought we'd have a run at the league and district title but now it's going to be really tough.”
The team consists of eight or nine boys and four girls this year, Christensen said. The team graduated one player who was on varsity last year, so it’s more or less the same team this year, except for the players who switch teams.
“Our team shortened a lot since last year; we had people leave and graduate, but I think we're pretty strong together,” said sophomore Molli Klefbeck. “If we can get a few more people out we can have a shot at winning league and districts again.”
“I think it’s promising,” said senior Esven Espino. “We’ve got some good players.”
Espino had never played golf before he joined the team as a sophomore, he said.
“I’m probably just going to try to get a little bit better at everything,” Espino said. “That's kind of been my goal every year.”
Klefbeck came to the team with a little more experience, she said, because she had golfed with her dad growing up.
“(I’m focusing on) my short game,” Klefbeck said. “That's probably the most important thing with everyone.”
“Golf is a hard enough sport to learn and to be competitive at it,” Christensen said. “It takes time generally, to get to that level. We've got, I think, four freshmen out this year, (and) they're already doing well for not competing in golf before. They played a lot … but competing in a tournament level is different.”
Teaching young players to compete in golf is a challenge, Christensen added.
“At this level, we're not trained professional coaches. And if (something) works for them, even though it may not be technically sound, we're not going to try to reinvent their swing. If they're functional and scoring well with the swing they have, we're not going to try to revamp everything about it. But if they come in new, we try to mold them into having that consistent swing where they can repeat a shot more consistently.”
Joel Martin may be reached via email at [email protected].
Royal High School golfer Molli Klefbeck, left, and Assistant Coach Collin Christensen practice at the Royal City Golf Course Tuesday.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”