By Barbara Palmgren
This mid-April, conditions were perfect at Shalimar Pointe Golf Club where nine middle schools entered boys and girls golf teams to compete for the prized county trophy—Ruckel, Saint Mary Catholic, Destin, Liza Jackson, Meigs, Davidson, Shoal River, Pryor and Bruner.
Both the Boys and the Girls overall Conference Team Trophy were won by Ruckel Middle School. In addition to the team trophies, awards were given to the top five finishers.
Congratulations to the following:
Girls top five finishers: First place – T. Sharron (Ruckel); Second place – C. Bridgford (Saint Mary Catholic); Third place – S. Kirland (Ruckel); Fourth place- A. Williams (Pryor) and Fifth place – R. Watkins (Ruckel)
Boys top five finishers: First place – A. Yang (Ruckel); Second place – K. Jeffrey (Ruckel); Third place – H. Hocke (Destin); Fourth place – M. Cooper (Ruckel); and Fifth place – N. Fosdyk (Destin).
I congratulate all the schools who support middle school athletics. As a former middle school and high school educator, I know the value of extra-curricular activities for our youth. Many will continue to compete at both the high school and college levels, and we might see a few on the pro golf tours. Anything is possible when given the opportunity to begin learning and applying necessary skills at an early age.
