An Interview with Courtney Beerheide:
Among the many extraordinary athletes here at BG, the girls golf team takes great pride in Courtney Beerheide. Going into her junior season, Courtney is a two-time all-state and all-conference athlete, and has brought home multiple titles for the high school. After putting in a summer of hard work and traveling for individual tournaments, Courtney looks ahead eagerly to what may be a very successful season for the girls golf team.
Oddly enough, playing on a team is something relatively unusual for Courtney. Having teammates is a rare luxury for her, considering that she travels and practices individually aside from the fall high school season. When asked about feelings toward the upcoming season,Courtney remarked, “I’m really excited to play in a lot of the matches with my teammates because in the dual matches against one other team I get paired with the next girl so I like connecting with her during the rounds which is just great to have. Also just bonding outside of golf as well, we like going out to dinner after practice or just having a little hang out where wecan, and that just helps us build stronger bonds which also translates on the golf course.”
Upon interviewing Courtney, it’s clear that the team has developed a tight-knit bond that excites the players and will carry them through a successful season. Not only will the bond of the team lead to victory, but so will the depth and diversity of the team. When discussing the strengths of the girls, Courtney explained excitedly that, “One of the strengths of the team thisyear is that we’re all very good at different parts of the game. Some girls are really strong in their longer irons and their longer clubs while other girls are strong at their short game and putting. It definitely helps as a team as it all comes together in each round, because if one part of your game is strong then you’re able to work on another part and get that equally as strong.”
In addition to the camaraderie with the girls on the golf team, Courtney receives unwavering support from her coaches and parents during this challenging high school season. As she elaborated on her support system, Courtney said, “I would say my biggest supporters in the high school season are my parents because they’re always there for me and they always come out to my matches and watch me play. Then also my high school coach, Jeff Gribbash, because he is always there for the team and is always pushing us to be better players and always wants us to strive to be the best, but he’s also very accepting of the team.” By depending on the support of the coaches and the bond of the team, Courtney Beereheide and her teammates appear to be setting themselves up for a very fun and successful season for Buffalo Grove girls golf.
An Interview with Ella Houston:
The swimming program here at Buffalo Grove high school has taken off in the past few years, largely due to the help of Ella Houston, a standout athlete here at BG. She has been to state her freshman and sophomore year and has her sights set on qualifying again this year. Along with her accomplishments within Buffalo Grove athletics, Ella travels with her club team to national meets with other high-performing swimmers. I had the privilege of sitting down with Ella, and talking with her about how she stays motivated everyday and her proudest accomplishments in her swimming career, and in just her two years at BG, “I broke the 200 meter and 500 meter my freshman year, and then broke them again my sophomore year. I got top three at state last year which made me all-state, and I placed in the top 100 in the country, which made me all-American. ” Although Ella clearly shines individually, she’s also a great leader who uplifts her teammates, and helps everyone to get just a little bit better everyday. According to Ella, that seems to be the team’s main focus when going into each meet- she explained that “We don’t really have huge goals for each meet, it’s kind of hard to set since we swim so often. What we focus on is getting one percent better everyday as a team because it’s important to set small goals that will help us get better each day. When we try to get faster one percent everyday it comes together by the end of the season and we can see how far we’ve come. ” Aside from whole team goals, as a leader Ella recognizes that it’s important to acknowledge everyone’s individual goals as well. Ella remarked that “The biggest thing I think about for being a leader and the really cool part of being one is recognizing that not everyone is at the same level. That’s what’s so great about high school swimming, some people have been doing it for their whole life while others have never swam competitively before. It’s important to remind myself and the girls that everyone’s in different spots, and they’re going to have different goals to accomplish each day.” As the girls swimming and diving team race through their fall season, it’s apparent that taking days one race at a time is sure to help them succeed. With the leadership of Ella Houston, she sets an example for the team to stay motivated and better themselves each time they step in the pool.
