NHS girls golf opens season

The Chilly Chili golf tournament lived up to its reputation March 18 with a twenty-degree temperature at the 8 a.m. scheduled start, but the golfers took to the course a little later in the morning and broke the ice on the 2023 season.

Niwot coach Ed Weaver took four golfers to the event at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Broomfield where parents provided a chili dinner for the players at the end of the day. “It was a really fun experience for the girls,” Weaver said. “Two of them had never played in a tournament before.”

The start of spring break in the St. Vrain Valley School District took its toll on the number of golfers available. Kate Jones and Ayla Schatz, two of the veteran Niwot golfers, were joined by Sophie McBee and Jo Gravelle, who played for the first time.

“Jo is involved in a lot of things,” Weaver said, but was available for this tournament. “It was good to get out there and have a good team experience.”

None of the Niwot golfers broke 100 on the day, but Weaver was not concerned. “The girls had fun,” he said. “High school golf is different than the summer tournaments, It’s a team rather than individual performance stuff. There’s some peer pressure involved.”

With 10 teams in the league spread out over four different school districts, with a variety of spring breaks, the early-season tournaments are a challenge. Next up for Niwot is a tournament in Greeley on March 21, where the Cougars will again have only four golfers available.

Jones will miss the Tuesday tournament, but Alena Kasanicky will join Schatz, McBee and Gravelle.