Editor’s note: Sources’ answers have been lightly edited for clarity in some cases.
As the spring sports season wraps up, so does the journey for many seniors playing these sports. For the boys’ golf team in particular, which has a small roster of 12 players, with the six-player travel team being an all-senior team, it has been a particularly memorable experience.
Falcon: How did you start playing golf and how long have you been playing?
Aidan Smith: When I was in 7th grade, my dad took me down to Pebble Beach to watch the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am PGA tournament. I was just like: “This looks cool, I want to start playing golf.”
Nick Okada: Halfway through quarantine, I was really bored and all the team sports were shut down. I just picked up golf because it was an individual sport. I started right after 8th grade.
Joshua Bang: My dad took me to a camp and I started playing there. I started in middle school and played a couple years on and off but nothing that serious.
Langdon Huynh: I started playing in 8th grade, but didn’t play sophomore or junior year, so it’s been three years now.
Matthew Chang: My dad introduced it to me and initially I wasn’t very interested in it, but gradually, over time, I picked it up. I’ve been playing since middle school.
Joshua Chang: My dad played so he introduced it to me when I was pretty young. I’ve been playing for seven years.
Renn Blanco: My friend introduced it to me during high school and I got to play at some courses. I really enjoyed the nature which got me attached to the sport.
Falcon: What will you miss most about being on the golf team?
Smith: The whole travel team is made up of seniors, so we’ve known each other since freshman year. So I’ll miss all the friends that I’ve made playing golf the most.
Okada: All my friends on the team, and also playing against friends from other schools.
Huynh: I’ll miss hanging out with my teammates every day and just playing golf with them.
Matthew Chang: Teammates and experience. After games we would often go eat together.
Joshua Chang: I guess the camaraderie with the team, we would go out and get dinner after matches.
Blanco: I’ll miss my relationships that I had with my friends there and the coach (David Gragnola). We’re always there to have fun and support each other so I’ll miss the memories that we made together.
Falcon: How have you bonded with other seniors over the years?
Smith: We eat a lot after every match and we also make funny TikToks.
Huynh: Playing golf with all the other seniors and hanging out with them and having a fun time. Walking to each ball is a good time for conversation and jokes.
Matthew Chang: During practice we practice together, do drills and play games.
Joshua Chang: We play practice rounds together and have conversations all the time.
Blanco: We hang out outside of school, we go eat all the time, we even play golf outside of school. Sometimes we go to each other’s houses, play other sports and even study together at the library.
Falcon: Which year was your best year?
Smith: Individually, probably last year, because I made CCS as an individual. Our best year as a team was our freshman year or this year. Hopefully we’ll make CCS as a team this year as our average scores are better this year.
Okada: This year for me, because my average scores this year have been a lot lower. Also, as a team, our average in general is better this year so it’s been a good year.
Matthew Chang: Probably this year for me, I’ve just gradually improved.
Joshua Chang: Individually, this year.
