A goal set in motion at just six-years-old, is paying off for Nanaimo twins whose love for their sport and hard work has landed them university scholarships.
Maria and Isabel Schwager were hooked on golf as six-years-old, and they have never looked back.
“Golf is like my world. The community of the Nanaimo Golf Club has been my family for years. They are always there to support me,” Maria told CHEK News.
“It just kind of became our second home,” said Isabel.
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According to the twins’ dad, Mark Schwager, his girls took up the sport to tag along with him.
“Well they would watch me leave going golfing, ‘where’s Daddy going?’. So I said ‘you wanna come with me?’” recalled Mark.
“So he just brought us out back, gave us some clubs and took us out around a few holes, and we just kind of fell in love with it,” said Isabel.
Now their super charged swings are the turning heads of university recruiters.
“Maybe one per cent or per cent of all golfers can get to their level. That’s male and female,” said the teens’ high school coach Brian Lennox, of the Wellington Wildcats.
“That speaks to her ability coming out of high school,” said University of Victoria golf coach Justin Clews.
On Wednesday, the sisters accepted and signed coveted university scholarships at UVic and UBC Okanagan, where they’re expected to be stars on their respective golf teams.
“It’s always been my end goal to get a scholarship. So just reaching that makes me very proud and very grateful too,” said Isabel.
According to Clews, who signed Maria to his UVic golf team, even more amazing than their skills, is that there’s two of them. Each just as good as the other.
“Yeah I can’t say I’ve seen it in my 13 years of coaching,” said Clews.
The twins mother Mayte Schwager told CHEK News that what makes her proudest of all, is they’ve stayed humble and kind through every tournament and trophy, as when they were seven and selling lemonade on the 14th tee of the Nanaimo Golf Club.
“They are also honoured to be where they are going,” said Mayte.
In September, the inseparable sisters will set out for separate universities.
“It will definitely be tough. We’ve done everything together, so it will be a bit of a jump from that,” said Isabel.
“I already know it’s making me emotional,” said Maria.
Thanks to golf sponsoring their university educations, Isabel will study to become a registered nurse and Maria will major in business.
