Lincoln-Way East Varsity Boys Golf - Season Preview

A new school year is upon us which also means that High School fall sports programs are quickly getting into full swing.  I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ryan Pohlmann, Lincoln-Way East's Varsity Boys Head Golf Coach, to obtain some insight into East's golf program as well as this year's Boys Varsity team.

MC - Coach, first of all thanks for taking the time to sit down with me.  Over the  years, East has earned the reputation of consistently having a strong golf program.  What have been the keys to the programs success?
RP - The greatest success to our program has been our golfers commitment to improve individually.  We have a lot of golfers that come in freshman year that "like" golf and the motivation and desire to improve and they begin to transform themselves into golfers.  We have also had some tremendous varsity role models to follow over the last few years.

MC- What are the current goals for the program as it embarks on its 2013 campaign?
RP - We have a check list of goals for the program and we have been fortunate to cross off a few of those goals.   We still would like to win sectionals as a team, and have some other goals at the state tournament level. 

MC - East switches the Southwest Suburban-Red Conference this year after having competed in the Southwest Suburban-Blue.  What do you expect from the new conference?
RP - I am very excited about the switch over to the red.  I have an older brother and we loved competing at everything. In the long run it made us both better. I figure the conference is going to be a lot like that now that all the Lincoln-Way's are in the same conference.  We will love the competition and hopefully it will benefit all of us. 

MC - You have had a younger, although very talented, varsity team over the last couple years.  It seems like the 2013 Griffins might be one of the more experienced squads we have seen in several years with some of the younger players from past years now leading the team as seniors.  Tell us about this year's team.
RP - This year's team has a nice balance of senior leadership and some younger players with solid experience.  We have Matt Contey, Tyler Kelly, and Dan Olivieri who are a collection of seniors who have matured into tremendous golfers and leaders for the upcoming season.  Junior Jake White and Sophomore Victor Perez are two key returnees from last year's regional and conference championship team.  

MC - The High School golf season is short with the State Finals being held in mid October.  As the head coach, how do you handle the challenges of keeping the players focused on the course as they also deal with the various demands that come with the start of a new school year?
RP - We just continue to preach that players need to prioritize and and focus on staying in the moment to focus on the task at hand.  It is a good recipe for success.  By the time our guys are juniors and seniors they are used to the chaos of the start of the season.  However, I do think it is more challenging than people 
would think.

MC - For the young players out there that may aspire to be a Griffin golfer one day, what advice do have for them on how to best improve their golf game?
RP - I would say to follow in the footsteps of our best golfers: start early, get great instruction, and play as much as you can.  It is amazing how good a young golfer can get in a short amount of time when they are really dedicated to the game.

Thanks to Coach Pohlmann for spending some time giving us a view into the East Golf program.  Having followed the program over the last 6 years I get the sense they have again reloaded and are in prime position to achieve their goals in 2013.  Stay tuned to this blog for news and updates as the season gets underway.