CDDHS golfer on her way to OFSAA

October 15, 2014 · 0 Comments

Centre Dufferin District High School student Alyssa Stoddart is on her way to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) golf championships after finishing in the top spot at the regional Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA) qualifier on October 1.
The Grade 11 student shot an 80 at the Saugeen Golf Club in Port Elgin – four strokes ahead of the second place finisher and one of only four competitors out of 27 entries to end the round with a score below 90.
This isn’t Alyssa’s first trip to OFSAA. She has qualified all three years she has been in high school.
In grade nine, she placed second at the district level, then went on to CWOSSA and qualified for the provincial championship tournament.
That was followed up with another trip to OFSAA in grade ten after winning the district tournament and finishing with a second place tie at the regional level.
Golfing since she was five years old, outside of school Alyssa hones her skills as a member of Hall of Famer, Sam Young’s Junior program at the Shelburne Golf and Country Club.
Her skill and past experience made her a natural for the school’s golf team.
“I knew other girls there, so it was like playing any other competition in the summer,” Alyssa said of going into the CWOSSA tournament. “I stay focused on my own game and do my own thing.”
As her game has progressed, Alyssa said she has learned to keep her mind on the game.
“When I was younger I used to talk to talk to the other players all the time and I wouldn’t be focused on my own game. Now I’ll say ‘good shot’ or ‘good job’ but I don’t socialize, I concentrate on what I’ll do with my next shot.”
Unlike many tournaments, CWOSSA is a one shot deal. A player’s score is based on one 18 hole round.
“In the first nine, I was doing really good and it started getting to my head. On the last hole in the first nine I messed up, I had a bad hole. That brought me down. In the back night I was struggling a bit, I realized I needed to focus more.”
After shooting an 80, Alyssa said she wasn’t expecting to win so “I left and went to the junior boys volley ball game. Then got I got a text from Mr. Scott saying I had won.”
Alyssa isn’t just a volley ball fan – she’s a coach with the team and wanted help out with the game.
Her coach, CDDHS staff member Rob Scott, admits that although he is the golf team coach, he has players that really don’t need much instruction about the game.
“They call me the coach, but I don’t really coach Alyssa, I’m really just the manager. I do the paperwork and try not to get in the way of these elite athletes,” He explained.
Scott is an enthusiastic supporter of the athletes under his charge and has a very positive approach to working with students who are clearly advanced in their sport above the normal collegiate level.
“When she’s on the golf course, Alyssa is as mature as anybody can be. She knows how to handle herself in tournament golf,” He said.
Alyssa will complete in the OFSAA Girls’ Golf Festival held at the Kingsville Golf and Country Club in Windsor on Wednesday, October 15, and Thursday, October 16.