By David Shefter and Erica Goodman, USGA
Bethlehem, Pa. – A crowd of wide-eyed young girls spent a portion of Tuesday morning admiring their idols thanks to the Women in Sports Foundation. Hosted by USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame member Wendy Hilliard, the first Celebration of Women in Sports event brought together five champion athletes who spoke of their inspiring stories.
Family was the theme of the day.
“My role model was always my mother,” said gymnast Shannon Miller, a seven-time Olympic medalist. “She was an athlete and growing up she could always do more pushups and chin-ups then the boys.”
Former WNBA and University of Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo, who balanced one of her three children on her lap for most of the talk, shared similar sentiments about her family’s matriarch. As a child, Lobo was often the only girl who played basketball with the boys. Rather than worry her daughter should move on to more feminine activities, her mother’s only concern was that her daughter had to play on the “shirts” team.
For Lehigh Valley native Michelle Marciniak, the event has brought her back home. A member of the 1996 University of Tennessee NCAA Division I national championship women’s basketball team, Marciniak shared the message of a good work ethic that she learned at an early age.
“There is always one thing you can do or take home with you,” said Marciniak. “Did I do my best today? It is completely up to you to make that decision.”
For these talented women who have spent their lives competing at the highest level, success all started with family support.
Putting Faces To Names
About 15 students from Nicole Spirk’s fourth-grade class at Fountain Hill Elementary School gathered behind the ninth green at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course Tuesday waiting for their adopted hero.
Since October, three classes from the area school – about 70 children – have corresponded with three-time LPGA Tour winner Christina Kim as part of the Adopt-A-Player program, a unique educational initiative for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open. The program, which was the brainchild of 2009 Women’s Open Executive Director Mimi Griffin, encompassed 4,000 students from 76 schools in eastern Pennsylvania. Twenty-five LPGA Tour players agreed to participate in the nearly year-long program where they corresponded by e-mail with their students, and in turn, the students had special T-shirts printed up to wear in their classrooms and at Saucon Valley this week.
So as Kim completed her practice round, she finally got to meet some of her electronic pen pals in person. She greeted each student and autographed the front of their T-shirts. She even signed one girl’s cast. Then they all got together with a group picture.
“To be actually able to put some faces and names to the kids was really thrilling,” said Kim, who shot a 62 during stroke-play qualifying at the 2001 U.S. Girls’ Junior and made the cut as a 17-year-old amateur at the 2001 U.S. Women’s Open.
During the year, the students introduced themselves to Kim and even offered advice on certain places to visit while in the Lehigh Valley.
“Not yet,” said Kim when asked if she had frequented any of the spots. “I might go check out the amusement park (Dorney Park). I would like to do it.”
Kim is noted for being one of the friendliest players on the LPGA Tour. She has been in the forefront of Twittering as a way to interact with fans. She thought the Adopt-A-Player idea was “innovative and ingenious” and said other players on the LPGA Tour also thought it was a terrific idea.
“This was definitely a little bit different because these kids were doing it with their school,” said Kim, a native of San Jose, Calif., who now resides in Florida. “Normally I wouldn’t recommend third- [and fourth-graders] talking with adults over the Internet. But this was through a very safe outlet between the USGA and the schools.
“Maybe someday we can make a different in someone’s life. We’re only one human, but any sort of encouragement that they can get is greatly needed.”
Among Her Idols
As an 8 year old, Alison Lee recalled traveling to Palm Springs, Calif., from her Valencia, Calif., home to watch the world’s best female golfers compete in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, one of the major championships in the women’s game. While walking outside the ropes, Lee often was given golf balls by some of the top competitors, including two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Juli Inkster.
Six years later, Lee finds herself on the same golf course with her idols. The 14 year old qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Open on June 15 in Santa Cruz, Calif., earning her the right to share practice-range space with the likes of Inkster, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr and Lorena Ochoa.
“It is weird because when I was younger, I never expected to even play the U.S. [Women’s] Open when I was 14,” said Lee, who survived a 2-for-1 playoff for the last spot at her sectional. “There is an awe factor. Once in awhile Paula Creamer or Lorena Ochoa will be right behind me and I try to stop myself from laughing.”
One of those celebrity moments happened at lunch on Monday. As Ochoa was preparing to sit down to enjoy her meal, Lee’s mother started getting excited. “It’s Lorena, it’s Lorena,” Lee’s mother yelled. Alison had to calm her down to prevent an embarrassing situation.
Even Alison has to remember why she’s here.
“I think it would be weird because she’s my competitor,” said Lee when asked if she had approached any of the stars for an autograph. “I am younger, so I guess I could, but it would still be weird.”
Lee is the second-youngest competitor in this year’s field behind 13-year-old Orlando, Fla., resident Yueer Cindy Feng, who was born in the People’s Republic of China. But Lee is no stranger to USGA championships. She reached match play two years ago at the U.S. Girls’ Junior at 12, then followed it up by qualifying for match play again last year in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur.
In two weeks, she’ll be participating in her third U.S. Girls’ Junior at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J. But not before she plays the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship next week in Malvern, Pa., where she was the runner-up in 2008.
Then again, Lee is hardly alone at the Women’s Open. Several juniors have qualified for the championship, including 2007 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Kristen Park and reigning U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Alexis Thompson, who are 16 and 14, respectively.
“At least I know some people,” said Lee, who will be a freshman this fall at Valencia High. “It makes me more comfortable.”
But one thing she isn’t too familiar with is playing a 6,700-plus-yard course. On most par-4 holes, Lee will be hitting a 5-iron or less into the green. Here she is using plenty more fairway metals and hybrids.
“On some of the long par-4s, I have to use 3-wood and it doesn’t even get there,” said Lee. “I think it’s pretty long.”
Paying homage
For Inbee Park, inspiration is meant to be paid forward.
The defending U.S. Women’s Open champion found her motivation to seriously pursue golf after witnessing Se Ri Pak’s playoff victory in 1998. Pak, who was at the time the youngest Women’s Open champion before being replaced by Park 10 years later, has been noted by many Korean players as a driving force behind their entrance to the game.
Park is no exception. Only 9 at the time, she watched the national hero’s final round in the early morning hours at parent’s home in Korea. With each replay of Pak’s triumph in the following days, Park was more and more drawn to her future in golf.
In 2008, she repaid the favor to the next generation of golfers by donating $50,000 of her winner’s check to support the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program. The only national initiative of its kind, the program introduces girls, ages 7 to 17, to golf.
“A lot of people helped me out to play junior golf,” said Park, the 2002 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and a two-time runner-up at that championship. “I thought it would be good to give back.” A portion of Park’s donation was used to provide clubs for girls with limited financial resources.
Beyond her altruism, Park is ready to compete again. She has had a slow start to the year, with her best finish a tie for 14th at last month’s McDonald’s LPGA Championship. Nevertheless, her 2008 victory at Interlachen C.C. brought her greater confidence and an understanding of the challenges of victory.
“It taught me how to win a golf championship,” said Park. “You really have to work through the week to deserve it.”
History Lesson
With a week off between USGA championships, U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links winner Jennifer Song, 19, took time off last week to do some sightseeing in New York and New Jersey.
One of her stops was to the USGA Museum in Far Hills, N.J., where she was awed by the Hall of Champions that houses all of the championship trophies and lists every USGA champion. Since the 2009 winners won’t be engraved until all 13 national championships are completed, Song was unable to see her name. And the original WAPL trophy also was out having Song’s name engraved.
But one trophy did catch her eye.
“I really like the U.S. [Women’s] Open trophy,” said the sophomore-to-be at the University of Southern California. “I will work hard for that.”
Song also spent time in New York City, where she saw the hit Broadway show “Mama Mia.” But she never made it to Ground Zero.
“I got off the train (subway), but I was so tired of walking after the Public Links,” said Song. “I need to revitalize my energy again.”
Song arrived at Saucon Valley on Friday, playing nine holes each day until she got in 18 on Monday. In between, she visited The Banana Factory, a community arts center in Bethlehem.
When a reporter asked about seeing the Crayola Factory in nearby Easton, Pa., Song just smiled.
“My dad (Museok) asked me if I wanted to go there,” said Song. “I told him, ‘Isn’t it just for kids?’ My dad gets really anxious when he has time to look around an area. He loves to know about the history of each area.”
David Shefter is a USGA Digital Media staff writer, while Erica Goodman is a third-year fellow in the USGA’s Grants and Fellowship Program in Colorado Springs, Colo. E-mail them with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org or egoodman@usga.org.
