| Golfers walk different paths to stardom (10/06) | | Print | |
| Written by Katie Wheeler-Dubin | |
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"Both Katrina and Ananda are the two best girls I've ever had the opportunity to coach," golf coach Lee Silverstein said. Senior co-captains Katrina Delen-Briones and Ananda Rochita are the top players on the team for a reason. From the time they picked up golf clubs, they've done nothing but been on the green. Rochita started playing golf her freshman year due to her dad’s insistence on playing a high school sport. She chose to pursue golf because her dad had been playing it for fifteen years and she wanted something for them to connect with besides "shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch and saying hello." She started taking lessons at Presidio Golf Course and went out to the course almost every day. Delen-Briones can trace her golf roots back to her father as well. She grew up in the Philippines in a golf-loving atmosphere, due to her father's passion. When she set her nine-year-old foot on the driving range for the first time, a golf instructor saw her swing and pronounced her a natural at the game. She "loved it from then on," she said. In 2003, Delen-Briones moved with her family to the United States because of the educational opportunities and the fantastic college golf. And from the time she stepped foot on Kentucky bluegrass, golf players haven't let her out of their sight. Rochita and Delen-Briones have participated in an array of prestigious golf tournaments that have added fuel to their clubs. Rochita has won the Construction Innovation Forum (CIF) Individuals, placed fourth in the Concord City Championships, won the Indonesian Tournament, placed fifth in the Almaden Junior, placed third in the Junior Golf Association of Northern California (JGANC) championships, and won second place in the California Junior Tour. Delen-Briones has also won an array of golf tournaments, as well as the United States Golf Association and American Junior Golf Association President Youth Leadership Award. Recently, she qualified to play in top notch tournaments such as The Pepsi Little People in Quincy, IL., The Rolex Tournaments of the Champions in Evergreen, CO., US Girls Junior in Charlotte, NC., and Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, CA. Both girls are looking at division one collegiate golf. Sacred Heart University, Bucknell University, University of Oregon, Concordia University, UC Santa Cruz and Notre Dame de Namur are interested in Rochita. Delen-Briones, on the other hand, is considering offers from San Jose State, University of Hawaii, UC-Davis, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, Fresno State, Arizona State and University of San Francisco. Rochita considered spending her senior year at David Leadbetter Golf Academy, a boarding school in Florida that integrates both school and sport- in her case, golf. David Leadbetter Academy is known for developing different athletes' skills like NBA player Kobe Byrant and Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson. Ultimately, Rochita found herself unwilling to give up her senior year at Lowell for the academy. Throughout their years playing on an array of different golf courses, both Rochita and Delen-Briones agree that Pebble Beach, Monterey, has the best green. "I've played at Poppy Hills…and it costs basically how much my IPOD does!" exclaimed Rochita. Pepsi-named tournaments, luxurious golf courses, and 20,000 dollar semester courses aren't the only adventures the girls have experienced. "I accidentally topped my ball…and I killed one of the birds!" Rochita said. "My teammates were like 'Oh my god! Dude you killed that duck!'" For most athletes, playing consistently depends on their mindset during the game. "When it all comes down to it, it's all a mental game filled with disturbing trees," stated Rochita. "And putting the white ball in the hole."
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