‘Win today and we walk together forever.’ -Philadelphia Flyers coach Fred Shero
Coach Mark Rubino might not have followed coach Fred Shero’s lead and written any inspiring words on the chalkboard before his Central Bucks East girls’ golf team took to the links for the 2010 PIAA Tournament, but Jordan Glatt, Francesca Ruscio, Stephanie Yocum and Ashley Cassidy turned in an inspired performance.
And like Shero’s 1974 Stanley Cup championship Flyers squad, they will walk together forever.
That much was assured when - in just their second year of existence - the Patriots came out of nowhere to capture the state title last fall in one of the feel-good stories of the 2010 calendar year.
“I’m not sure they’re going to know what they really did for a while,” Rubino said. “I kind of knew it was something that was going to affect them for their whole lives.
“When you win a state championship, it’s something you’ll always have. You’ll be telling your kids about it, you’ll be telling your grandkids about it. It will be there forever, and the relationships will be there forever.”
Weeks after their magical ride to a state title, the reality that they are indeed state champs was starting to sink in for the players.
“It’s really great because we were able to develop such a great team that’s only been in existence for two years,” Glatt said. “It just came out of nowhere because we never had a girls’ team before.”
“I feel really proud to be part of something like this and really honored to be coached by Mr. Rubino, who is an awesome coach,” Yocum said. “We are all connected now – it’s cool.”
“I realize we made history at the school, and you know what – it feels amazing,” Ruscio said. “I walk by that showcase, and I can’t help but smile.
“I contributed something to the school that I will always remember, and when I come back and visit, it will be great to say, ‘There’s our banner. There’s our trophy. We did that in 2010.’ Being a state champ – it’s sweet, it’s sweet.”
It’s an ending no one anywhere could have predicted when Glatt and Ruscio walked into Rubino’s classroom to sign up for the golf team on a June afternoon prior to their freshman year.
“It was kind of neat to see young ladies sign up for golf,” Rubino said. “I couldn’t have dreamed at that point that we would do anything like this. I was just happy to see the girls involved.”
That fall Glatt and Ruscio played for the boys’ jayvee team. The foundation had been laid.
“We were picking up experience – learning the course, learning how to play the game better,” Ruscio said. “We had a senior mentor, and he would walk around the course with us.
“Sometimes we were in boys’ jayvee tournaments.”
The following year, Yocum joined the team a week after picking up a club for the first time. The now senior golfer- a former dancer and softball player - was forced to learn a new sport when she tore tendons in her foot while performing with her dance company.
“I can’t run anymore, and my dad was like, ‘You have to pick another sport,’” Yocum recalled. “I went to the driving range, and I loved it.”
The trio played mostly with the boys’ jayvee, but Glatt saw time playing for the varsity, and suddenly, just one golfer separated the Patriots from fielding a team.
“Jordan played on the varsity and contributed, but for the most part, they were caught in that no-man’s land,” Rubino said. “Three is fun, but when you get a fourth, then you can do something in the postseason.”
The following fall, Cassidy signed up for golf, and the Patriots had a girls’ team.
“She turned out to not only be just another lady in the program but also skilled,” Rubino said. “I think when Ashley showed up we knew it was a possibility, and it wasn’t just a fantasy anymore than we could actually do it.”
In the fall of 2009, the Patriots went on to finish third out of four teams in district, trailing district champ Mount St. Joseph’s by four strokes and second place Radnor by just one.
“We knew with all four girls coming back that we had a real chance the following year, so our focus from that day on was to get ready for that event,” Rubino said. “That being said, we never knew what to expect beyond districts.
“We knew Mount St. Joe’s was kind of the queen of District One, and they kind of became our focus. We didn’t even know what else was out there.”
It didn’t really matter what else was out there. The Patriots took on all challengers this past fall and came out on top.
Propelled by Glatt’s magnificent gold medal performance – the senior standout shot a 70, the Patriots coasted to a district title, finishing 17 points ahead of second place Mount and 22 points ahead of third place Radnor.
“We lost to Mount St. Joe’s last year, so I thought we wouldn’t beat them, and I knew it would be hard going into it,” Cassidy said. “Jordan had a great round, and Francesca did pretty well. I struggled that day, but we got through and actually got them by 17 strokes.
“If you have a fourth player that is going to shoot 95 or below, then you have an advantage. I know Mount St. Joe’s struggled with their fourth and fifth players, and their fourth player normally shot in the 100s, so we had a little bit of an advantage because we knew all of our girls could break a hundred.”
None of the Patriots shot above a 91, and their convincing win at districts was a preview of things to come. The Patriots – behind the third place finish of Glatt (75) and the eighth place finish of Cassidy (79) – rolled to a Regional title, besting their nearest opponent by 58 strokes.
“After winning districts, which we knew was our hardest competition, I think we gained a lot of confidence and momentum going into the next couple of tournaments,” Yocum said. “We were nervous, but I think we knew what we could accomplish.
“I was very confident in our team. I knew we did have a really good team.”
East’s regional title set the stage for another big performance at states that saw the Patriots post a 689 for the two-day event while their next closest competitor, Fox Chapel, posted a 706. East is the first public school to win the girls’ state title, and despite their decisive win, the players say there was some pressure.
“There was pressure once you finished because if you made one mistake – ‘What happens if I missed the putt on nine and we lose by a stroke?’” Cassidy said. “I kind of hoped we would win, but I never really imagined us winning. I still can’t believe how we won.
“I knew (Fox Chapel) had some really good players so it would be hard, and we had to come out and do our best to beat them.”
“When we were coming in, we were all calculating in our minds what they were going to have to do to beat us,” Yocum added. “Towards the end when there were only a couple of girls left, we kind of knew where we stood and that it was looking really good.”
The Patriots earned every piece of post-season hardware they could possibly earn, and the trophy case is a tribute to the four players who comprised the team.
“We were kind of fortunate,” Rubino said. “The further we went and the more pressure there was – for some reason, the character of these girls – they just got better and better.”
According to Yocum, the players shared a passion for their sport.
“We have had people come and go on the team that weren’t really passionate about golf, but for all the girls on the team, this is our life,” she said. “This is what we do every day - this is what our day is based on. We have a strong passion for golf.”
Ruscio points to the friendly competition as key.
“We were all determined to basically outdo each other, but it was a very friendly competition to the point where we all motivated each other to get a better scoring average, to get the most birdies, to birdie the hardest hole on the golf course,” Ruscio said. “We motivated each other to do good.
“Eventually, we developed momentum, and we got really good as a team. We were just building off each other and feeding off each other’s momentum. It was wonderful.
“On top of that, we had Mr. Rubino to guide us and motivate us to be ourselves, focus on the team scores and focus on beating our opponents. It was great.”
Still, winning a state title is an ending Ruscio and Glatt admit they couldn’t have anticipated when they signed up for the team the summer before their freshman year.
“That would have seemed really out there,” Glatt said of winning states. “Our team just developed really quickly.
“It’s really special, especially because it’s my senior year and also for two other members of the team. It was such a good way to go out.”
“In the beginning, I felt really little because there were all these big macho seniors,” Ruscio said. “I was like, ‘How am I going to make a mark in this sport?’ Back then being a girl on the boys’ golf team – I never thought we would get (two) more girls, and I never thought I as an individual would improve my game so much.
“I didn’t realize we could win a state title until our team got first at districts. That was when things started clicking. That was when I started thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, let’s do this. We actually have a chance to do this.’”
They did it, ensuring that the players and coaches comprising the 2010 Central Bucks East girls’ golf team will indeed walk together forever.
- Log in to post comments
0
