All ‘fore’ the best: High school golfers among those with best shot at college scholarships
In this 2020 file photo, Remmey Lohr chips onto the 16th green at Duck Hollow Golf Club during Monday无毛视频檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship. Lohr now plays golf on the women无毛视频檚 team at West Virginia Wesleyan College, and received a partial scholarship to do so. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Remmey Lohr of Carmichaels plays golf for West Virginia Wesleyan College, where she received a scholarship for the sport. Women无毛视频檚 golf is one of the sports that offer a greater chance of getting a college scholarship. (Photos courtesy of Remmey Lohr)
Remmey Lohr of Carmichaels is a member of the golf team at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Sometimes, father really does know best.
Carmichaels native Remmey Lohr said hers told her if she played golf and worked hard at her game, she无毛视频檇 have a better chance at a scholarship to help pay for her post-secondary education.
So, when Lohr, now 20, was a student at Carmichaels Area Senior High School, she and her sister joined the school无毛视频檚 team. They were the only two girls to do so, and, said Lohr, listening to her father paid off.
Recruitment letters started coming.
Among them was one from West Virginia Wesleyan College, where she无毛视频檚 a junior majoring in management with a double minor in marketing and art 无毛视频� and receiving a scholarship to play on the school无毛视频檚 golf team.
Although the golf scholarship didn无毛视频檛 give her a full ride, it did substantially cut down on her tuition costs.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 very fortunate,无毛视频� she said.
While the Friday night lights of football get a lot of attention, area athletic directors said sometimes, the athletes who play the less traditional sports are the ones who find themselves in a better position to secure college scholarships.
无毛视频淣o doubt, they (colleges and universities) are always looking to fill rosters with kids that can help their sports programs, especially the more local you get,无毛视频� said Harry Kaufman, the athletic director for Uniontown Area School District in Fayette County.
Kaufman said while sports like golf, hockey or lacrosse normally don无毛视频檛 get the same attention as the bigger sports, the colleges that he communicates with 无毛视频� especially Division 2 and 3 schools 无毛视频� have asked about student athletes who play those auxiliary sports.
无毛视频淚 do think there are some sports that are easier to get into for collegiate scholarship (opportunities) than others,无毛视频� said Brian Geyer, the athletic director for Peters Township School District in Washington County.
He, too, mentioned girls无毛视频� golf, noting that there are only a handful of schools in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties that offer golf programs. For young women who无毛视频檇 like to pursue post-secondary education, playing golf in high school could translate to an increased opportunity to find scholarship money at a college or university looking to fill a team, he said.
Ed Dalton serves as the athletic director at McGuffey School District in Washington County, and is also the head football coach at the high school. He said another factor in the rise in scholarship opportunities 无毛视频� particularly for the less traditional sports 无毛视频� is Title IX.
Title IX is a federal law that was passed in 1972 to ensure that male and female students and employees in educational settings are treated equally and fairly. Part of that includes a college providing male and female athletes with equal access to financial aid. Funds allocated to athletic scholarships must be proportionate to the participation of male and female athletes.
Dalton explained that, if a certain number of scholarships go toward football, then proportionate number of scholarships have to go toward sports for women. He said he无毛视频檚 seen female wrestling, which has been at the club level for the past five or 10 years, begin to emerge as the next possible sport to get the attention of colleges.
无毛视频淟ast year, WPIAL officially approved it,无毛视频� Dalton said. 无毛视频淲e don无毛视频檛 offer it yet. We typically need student interest first.无毛视频�
Lohr urged high school girls who are golfers to reach out to college coaches.
无毛视频淭here are schools that people don无毛视频檛 know about that would give scholarships, especially for women无毛视频檚 golf because women无毛视频檚 golf is struggling to find recruits,无毛视频� Lohr said, using her own college as an example.
But, she said, just being on the team isn无毛视频檛 enough. Coaches want quality players who have a solid game and care about their sport.
无毛视频淓ven if you无毛视频檙e not the best golfer, if you无毛视频檙e dedicated and want to work to be better at it, they无毛视频檒l help you,无毛视频� Lohr said.
Rich Evans, the athletic director for the Connellsville Area School District in Fayette County, said in his experience, students who play either golf or ice hockey have the highest chance of receiving a scholarship to play in college. The caveat to that, he said, is that it无毛视频檚 rarely a full ride.
无毛视频淯nless you无毛视频檙e a dynamic, once-in-a-lifetime type of player, probably destined to be in the major league, students almost never receive a full scholarship,无毛视频� Evans said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 highly competitive, that无毛视频檚 why we always try to tell our students for as special as you are, there无毛视频檚 someone at a neighboring school just as good or as close as good as you.无毛视频�
And how a high school athletes conducts themselves has become just as important as their prowess on the court, course, rink or mat, he said.
无毛视频淎 school is going to be very careful who they无毛视频檙e committing to. You have to do all the right things on and off the field, in the classroom and in the community,无毛视频� Evans noted.
Especially over the past few years, he said, athletic directors and coaches have started talking to student athletes about being thoughtful about what they post on social media.
无毛视频淭hese colleges are doing their homework,无毛视频� Evans said. 无毛视频淵ou have to think about the bigger picture, getting good grades, preparing for the real world and doing the right thing to make yourself marketable for your future.无毛视频�