9/23/2013
CHANGES: After the retirement of former head coach Eddy Jones, Gwen Ritzau and Neil Schlesener take the reigns.
By Skylar Rains, Staff Writer.
After coaching girls’ golf for 22 years and claiming back-to-back League titles, Jones made the decision to retire after the 2012-2013 school year. The new coaches were not announced until early July.
Ritzau, who acted as the team’s assistant coach for the past few years, was the ultimate decision for head coach. She knew all of the returning girls, who were already accustomed to her coaching style. Although she is still recovering from a recent surgery on her Achilles tendon, she manages to provide the girls with the guidance they need.
Schlesener, the assistant coach for the boys’ team, was selected to be the team’s new assistant coach. When asked how he is dealing with the change from coaching boys’ golf to girls’ golf, he replied “It’s similar, it’s golf, you know it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl playing it or a boy playing it so there isn’t really that much of a change…it’s not that much different, it’s golf.”
The players on the team are adjusting to the change in coaches quite well. Returning player Zoe Zink (11) captured the opinion of the majority of the team in saying, “Overall, I really enjoy the new coaches. Schlesener is a great addition to the team and has significantly improved my appreciation for the game. I miss Jones a lot though, but I think our team will be able to carry on without him.”
Under the new coaches’ direction, the girls hope to significantly improve from last year, moving the team from second to first place in the Inland Valley League. So far, it seems the new coaching duo is proving effective, as the team is currently 3-0 overall. As for Jones, he will remain the boys’ golf head coach for the 2013-2014 season.