2002 PREVIEW: WOMEN'S GOLF: AGE, NOT YOUTH, IS SERVED.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer VALENCIA - If it's not broken, don't fix it. That wasn't exactly Gary Peterson's game plan entering his fourth season as women's golf coach at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. . But what's a coach to do? He considered trying to recruit more recent high school graduates for his program, which has produced a state community college runner-up and champion, respectively, in the past two seasons with teams made up largely of older women. ``But the (older) women on my team,'' Peterson said, ``they say, `Hey, I know of another (older) player who can really help us out.' What am I supposed to say?'' So when Peterson's Cougars opened the Western State Conference season Sept. 4 at Tierra Rejada GC in Moorpark, it was with a familiar look: One teenager - Erica Leary, a June graduate of Hart High of Newhall - in the starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes and the remaining five ranging from their late 20s to 56-year-old grandmother Carla Loomis. Canyons' other seasoned starters, most returning to college well after traditional college-age days, are Deriree Banlow, Diane Barber A barber (from the Latin barba, "beard") is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves, and trim beards. In previous times, barbers also performed surgery and dentistry. , Janet Richards and Kim Gonzalez. Peterson loves it, and not just because that kind of team composition enabled the Cougars to go 20-4 and 52-0 the past two seasons. The Canyons coach finds himself appreciating their play for reasons more than wins and losses. It's like a continuing clinic in course management. ``To watch their game, it's so cool the way they never do more than they can do,'' Peterson said. ``Hit the middle of the fairway, lay up, chip to five feet and make the putt. It has really helped my game to watch them.'' Peterson, who also included Donna Murillo and recent Burbank High graduate Julie Ziegler on his traveling team for the season opener, has yet to determine a clear-cut No. 1 player. But single-digit handicappers Banlow and Barber, wife of Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. head professional Tom Barber, have been among the early contenders. Banlow shot 73 in a recent practice round at Tierra Rejada. Moorpark, which has handed Canyons its only two Western State Conference defeats over the past two seasons, again is expected to be one of the leading challengers to the Cougars' title defense. COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS Coach: Gary Peterson 2001 record: 52-0 Conference finish: First Playoffs: Won state championship Key returnees: Carla Loomis (Soph.) Top newcomers: Deriree Banlow (Fr.); Diane Barber (Fr.); Janet Richards (Fr.); Erica Leary (Fr.); Kim Gonzalez (Fr.); Julie Ziegler (Fr.); Donna Murillo (Fr.) 2002 SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Sept. 16 WSC WSC Winter Symposium on Chemometrics WSC Winter Simulation Conference WSC Wayne State College WSC Westfield State College (Westfield, MA) WSC Western State College (Colorado) tournament at Marshall Canyon GC* 10 a.m. Sept. 23-24 CS Monterey Bay tournament at Black Horse GC 8 a.m. Sept. 30 WSC tournament at Rancho ran·cho n. pl. ran·chos Southwestern U.S. 1. A hut or group of huts for housing ranch workers. 2. A ranch. San Marcos San Marcos (săn mär`kəs). 1 City (1990 pop. 38,974), San Diego co., S Calif., a northern suburb of San Diego; settled 1880s, inc. 1963. GC* 10 a.m. Oct. 7 WSC Invitational in·vi·ta·tion·al adj. Restricted to invited participants: an invitational golf tournament. n. An event, especially a sports tournament, restricted to invited participants. Adj. 1. at La Purisima GC 9 a.m. Oct. 14 WSC tournament at Bakersfield (site TBA TBA See: To be announced )* 10 a.m. Oct. 16 WSC tournament at Tierra Rejada GC* 10 a.m. Oct. 21 WSC tournament at Marshall Canyon GC* 10 a.m. Oct. 30 WSC tournament at Robinson Ranch GC* 10 a.m. Nov. 4 WSC tournament at Rancho San Marcos GC* 10 a.m. Nov. 11-12 So. Cal. Regionals at Hacienda hacienda also called estancia (Argentina and Uruguay) or fazenda (Brazil) In Latin America, a large landed estate. The hacienda originated in the colonial period and survived into the 20th century. CC 10 a.m. Nov. 17-18 State tournament at La Purisima GC 10 a.m. *Western State Conference match CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: Canyons women's golfer Carla Loomis, front, posing with coach Gary Peterson, is one of the older players helping the Cougars succeed. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: (1) COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS (see text) (2) 2002 SCHEDULE (see text) |
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