Detroit girls golf team making waves

Making Detroit history although we were the only um African-American people on the course we didn’t let that stop us it just kind of gave us the motivation to play our best and to be the representation that our city needed to show that to show other little black

Girls that you can do this and so you’ve now made history here in the city of Detroit it’s honestly surreal even more surreal considering Detroit’s Cast Tech girls golf team formed just two years ago and most of the girls were playing golf for the very first time and in that short period of

Time they learned how to play the game they got better and better and earned a spot in the state finals a historic first for a Detroit golf team so in honor of Black History Month we thought we would highlight the recent history making achievements of these remarkable young

Ladies who on the team is like the cheerleader I would say like here is probably Sydney Lee Sydney Lee is always there booing people up Sydney Lee now a senior crossed paths with the golf coach the day she transferred to ctech I like to call it fate in my opinion cuz

Without um running into him there’s a chance that I would have never joined this sport the school never had a girls golf team so recruiting was unconventional coach Martin comes by our lunch table asking if anyone wants to play golf and I was like okay I didn’t

Even know how to hold a club what does it feel like to learn a sport and then immediately start competing in it that had to be intimidating when I joined I had like 2 days to like practice and then I was put in the game the girls

Were really good every shot I made I was like I just started playing I just started playing coach Martin had a plan he always put us against one of the best like teams in the state and I feel like because of that that allowed us to be better players coach Martin’s plan

Worked the girls qualified for the state championship after forming just two years prior all of a sudden you’re competing on an even higher level I feel like that’s what allowed us to make it to States is being around good competition I knew that one day we could

Make it but I never thought it would happen so soon it was amazing cuz it shows that we can all work together and be a team I wasn’t surprised but it was like wow like we really did it and other schools and everybody shock yeah who cast Statewide recognition and

Acknowledgements followed ever since States like I don’t know my life has changed a lot to be able to see like my name in the magazine to hear my name like on a video just to hear this stuff is like it’s really nice also nice the support from the ctech Alumni

Association providing funding for equipment and uniforms golf is one expensive very very expensive sport James Evans is a member of the coaching staff he introduced his granddaughter Sydney to his passion for golf he’s able to calm me down and just say it’s okay I’m so proud of them since States

Support for the team has grown including a trip to Palm City FL Florida this month to play in the Michigan snowbirds tournament at Martin D’s Country Club one of the country’s only blackowned private golf clubs owned by Stanley and Cheryl Campbell the girls received a $21,000 donation from the participants

Many detroit-based Business Leaders it’s nice to see that other people are paying attention to us and they want to see us succeed I have to imagine a lot of times you were the only black girls um that were on the golf course kind of what kept all of us motivated into playing

The sport we knew who we were representing and accomplishing what no other golf team in Detroit has ever done especially here at Cass I’m just like cuz this school is a football school and academics I just like how we shine we shine the light on golf it’s taught me

Patience taught me resilience it’s taught me how to stay calm how to have failures how to have achievements and hopefully our achievement will inspire future generations and the girls that will come after us to play golf what a what a story I know and as the first Detroit golf team to qualify for

The division one state championship while they did not win many of those girls are going to be back next season and I just want to emphasize these girls don’t have a home course a lot of teams have a course they can go play chip putt drive work in the bunkers coach Martin

Described it as a basketball team practicing without a court and and then making it to a championship no you get better on the of course you know the best so always playing a different course that’s even tougher I can’t help but have noticed I saw you in one of

Those pictures in the snowbird tournament how did we do oh funny you should ask now in it’s third year the Michigan Florida snowbirds competition down in Palm City Florida my team won shout out to Janice Rogers on my right my husband uh Jason jumer and also Judy Jacobson we

Won the mixed team there’s also an all female and all male team win my name on the how heavy is that trophy very heavy look at my biceps popping oh congrats there uh I really I love this team and I love their story I really can’t wait to see what they do

This coming SE I know it’s so exciting many of them going off to college they don’t plan to play in college but they plan to continue to play maybe they will that’s great I love the life lessons and what a go forward story it is if you

Have one for us that you’d like us to tell uh we’re happy to do it just reach out to us here at go for wdiv.com