The boys’ golf season has started! Tryouts were held at the Ballwin golf course at the Golf Port driving range.
“Tryouts were a challenge with the weather and all the snow after spring break. We had to modify plans, reschedule tryout rounds but we eventually got it all in,” coach Greg Schade said.
Varsity includes Blake Hustedt, Matt Stewart, Ryan Schreiber, Wesley Greene, Nathan Talbott, Stone Ramatowski, Killian Kamp, and Anthony Su. Hustedt is a returning varsity player and was first team all conference last year, third ranked player in the conference last year, and two years ago was the conference tournament individual champion.
“I’ve been playing for six years and I love the sport,” Hustedt said.
JV consists of Brad Akin, Bryan Calvin, Landon Creemens, Nick Derbak, Connor Gibala, Brian Ingberg, Jon Janson, William Malek, Andrew Peterson, TJ Teicher, Jack Thomas, Andrew Widowski, and Kerry Xio. Schade is expecting the team to de very well this season.
“I think we will be competitive in our conference and challenge for the conference title,” Schade said.
A day at practice includes range working on different aspects of the game… driving, approach shots, short game, putting, etc. Jv and varsity practice together before matches but once marches start, both teams are going to different courses on different days. Coaches’ consultants help improve players by hitting balls with them at the driving range if needed.
“They help each other at the range, watch each other’s swings, ect… the more experienced guys consult with new guys on how competitive golf works too,” Schade said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
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![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
