Five Hopefuls Make Final Push To Make BC Team For Western Canada Summer Games
by Alfie Lau
Khan Lee, A.J. Ewart, Hannah Lee, Alisha Lau and Shirin Anjarwalla were attending their second British Columbia Golf High Performance Camp in five months
For five young British Columbia golfers, it was a chance to show how much their games, attitude and mental games have developed and evolved.
Khan Lee, A.J. Ewart, Hannah Lee, Alisha Lau and Shirin Anjarwalla were attending their second British Columbia Golf High Performance Camp in five months and that timeframe is notable because if all goes well, they’ll have a much more pressing date to make in five months time.
The Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, Alberta are coming fast and all five of these players stand a good chance of making the 8-player team which will represent British Columbia.
For the boys, there’s a little pressure coming from the fact that in 2011, the BC team swept all the individual spots and the team title. “I think I’ve done enough so far to make the team,” said Ewart, who knows he still has three competitions before mid-April to show coaches why he should be on the team.
“My results last year were really good and over the winter, I’ve gained a lot of distance off the tee and I’m working hard on my fitness and nutrition.”
Ewart is confident without being cocky, pointing out that while he loves golf, he also spent much of the winter playing high school basketball, which reinforced one big thing for him.
“If you want something, you have to work hard for it,” he said. “That’s the same for basketball as it is for golf. I will work harder than anybody else because that’s how you get better.”
Showing no less confidence, but in a different form, is Surrey golfer Khan Lee. Outwardly, Khan is one of the more noticeable young golfers because he’s one of the friendliest and most outgoing golfers in a group setting, but get him alone and there’s a quiet thoughtfulness that comes out of Lee.
“I try to be positive on the course and off the course,” said Khan. “I’m easy-going but that doesn’t mean I’m not working hard and trying to get better and trying to improve in everything I do.”
And when asked where he envisions himself if he were to make the team, Khan doesn’t mince any words. “I’m a #1 guy,” he said. “And part of being a leader is if one of your teammates is down, you have to help them up and support them.”
Khan has learned a couple of hard lessons since the October camp. He played a tournament in Florida, but after an overnight flight and not taking into account the three-hour time difference, he had no chance of making his 7 a.m. practice round.
“I learned about sleep preparation and how you have to take care of your body, whether that’s getting in a workout, getting your sleep or eating the right foods,” said Khan.
Khan said some of the methods he’s incorporated into his training include using a mirror to look at his swing, in particular his backswing, and working on his putting tempo.
“I’ve listened to everything the coaches told me and that’s because I really want to be on the team that represents BC at the Canada Summer Games,” said Khan. “I want this so much.”
Shirin Anjarwalla Carded The Low Round At This High Performance Camp And Made It Known She Wants On This Team - Image Credit Alfie Lau
While the boys face the pressure of defending, the girls face a different pressure because they may be the strongest team on paper going into Wood Buffalo. Debbie Pyne, British Columbia Golf’s Managing Director of Player Development, said it’s nice to have potentially three #1 players with the potential to win gold.
Topping the list of favourites is 15-year-old Richmond golfer Alisha Lau, who was named to the Team Canada Development Squad since October’s camp.
It’s been a whirlwind five months for Lau, as she travelled to Australia to play a tournament, she’s started working more with Team Canada coach Ann Carroll, and she’s also changed coaches and now works with Scott Rodgers.
“I’ve had some growing pains,” said Lau. “I need to build my confidence up again but I’m learning a lot of things from Ann and Scott. It’s really been awesome working with Scott. He’s a really fun guy and I’m learning a lot.”
Lau was definitely tested at the Burnaby High-Performance Camp, as she shot an uncharacteristic round of 77, which included a triple bogey at the ninth hole.
In addition, during the FlightScope challenge, where players were asked to hit wedge shots between 35 and 100 yards, Lau was in the middle of the pack in an area where she usually excels.
“That’s golf, it happens,” she said of not playing her best. “I think with some of the changes I’ve gone through, I may have to take a step back to take a couple steps forward.”
Lau still had a great time at the camp, in no small part because one of her best friends and competitor, Hannah Lee, was also her roommate. “She’s someone I learn a lot from because she thinks so differently from how I think,” said Hannah.
“We have a lot of fun, but we are really competitive too.”
Hannah also had a tougher time on Riverway, but she said it’s allowed her to continue working on her mental game.
“I’ve taken a lot from what Coach Jody (Jackson) is teaching us and in the past, I’ve struggled with my mental game because I lose focus and get distracted by things like little sounds. I’m working on that and the more experience I get, the less it will affect me.”
Hannah said she’s working with her coach John Shin on her mental game, but one thing she is sure about is her desire to be on the BC team for Wood Buffalo. “I really want to play in this tournament,” she said. “I have to keep doing what I’m doing and getting better.”
Also with a huge desire to play in Wood Buffalo is reigning British Columbia Juvenile champion Shirin Anjarwalla of Nanaimo. She proudly carries a bag with “2014 Champion” embroidered on it, but Anjarwalla has the game to go with the swagger.
Anjarwalla carded the low round at Riverway, a (-1) round of 71 that included two birdies. “I was just trying to show the coaches what I’ve got,” said Anjarwalla. “I’m a good golfer and I have to show them that I deserve to be on the BC team.”
Anjarwalla has worked hard on her mental game over the the last four months “I don’t show that much emotion on the golf course,” she said. “You can’t be up and down and that’s what I’m still working on.”
Anjarwalla has also taken to heart the fitness and nutrition lessons and realizes that being a high-performance golfer involves more than just playing well on the golf course. “You have to watch what you eat, always be working out and even working on your sleep preparation is important,” she said. “The coaches are always giving us things to think about and work on.”
While the final team selection for Wood Buffalo won’t be announced until mid-April, these five young players have shown enough to be considered for the team.
Now all they have to do is continue playing well and developing so that when the coaches do make their decision, it will be an affirmation of what they’ve seen out of these five promising talents.
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