Hello, Hello! As you may already know I recently had the opportunity to volunteer for the United States Women’s Open at Pine Needles. This was my third event, second women’s open, and a first experience for something unique. Not only were most of the volunteer's women, but there was also another group making a name for themselves. Out of the last three events I have worked at, I was always one of a few students in the room, but at Pine Needles I was one of about FIFTEEN student volunteers! That is correct, over a dozen of the volunteers were students, our next greatest leaders and industry professionals ranged from high school all the way up to graduate school. As a student myself, I find a situation like this to be very rare. Because of the amount of people at the event, I had the pleasure to speak with and get to know many of those involved. I have met some of the most interesting students and I wanted to make sure that you knew them too.
Reaching out to a few students and asking a lot of questions, (they have a tremendous amount of patience), I have gathered some information about the student themselves, currently, during the week, the future, and what this all means.
Brandi Merrick is a current masters Student at North Carolina State University with goals of moving into a PhD program in the future. When she is not in the lab, she is at Bentwinds Country Club. A once agricultural science educator turned turfie, Brandi of course found all of us at the USWO for her second time. When asked what this week was like for Brandi... “This past week was absolutely incredible. Walk mowing greens is one of my favorite jobs and to get to do it for such a huge championship event was like woah... and on top of the actual job and being able to support Dave and his team – being surrounded by 30 absolute (insert a “pullin’ weeds” lawn mower sound) women was truly so fun, so uplifting, and generally indescribable...” Brandi loved the week and said that “Volunteering at this event provides so many future opportunities – for one thing it re-energizes me and gets me excited about the industry all over again.”
Thomas Denson Jr recently completed his education at Chattanooga State Community College and currently interns at Pine Needles with plans of continuing his education at Sandhills Community College. “This past week was honestly [a] humbling blessing and honor to be a part of... I didn’t understand how significant this tournament was until I met people like you, the other female volunteers, local volunteers, and some... at Pinehurst... I will never forget standing on 18 green...I always [wanted] to be a part of big sporting events so it was [a] special moment.” With the future in mind Thomas has goals to “... have impact on my community and continue to grow in the industry, to be the best I can be and to be the best teammate as well...make the most of [the opportunities] I get.”
JT Klinghagen, currently attending Northwestern College, and interning at Pinehurst No. 2. In the years ahead he hopes volunteer at another U.S. Open, continue his education in the turf program at Iowa State, and become a golf course superintendent. “Volunteering at an event like the USWO allowed me to get an idea of what it’s like to run a massive tournament. The amount of work, people, coordinating, that goes into an event like that. Truly was a special opportunity.”
Tanner Little, current student at Virginia Tech and crew member at Pine Needles. Tanner shows high hopes for the turf industry saying, “...I hope more women become involved in this industry. Maintenance and other manual labor is highly male dominated and it would be nice to see more women become involved in this field.” “I believe volunteering at this event has not only opened my eyes to the career and field of turf management, but it also helped me gain a lot of insight on myself. This week... showed me how dedicated and committed other individuals in this field are.”
Ryan Schappert, student at Wayne Community College, and intern at Pinehurst No. 4. Just like many other peers, Ryan has set goals for his career and education. “My hopes and goals for the future is to one day become a superintendent for a high level course. From an education standpoint I want to learn as much as I can about this industry, either through school or work experience.” Unfortunately, students often do not find the chance to interact with each other if they are not in a similar program or internship, which make events like the U.S. Open so unique. “...not many people our age are getting into turf management... It is few and far between.”
Although the number of students in our industry is not ideal, I feel optimistic about the future. I know these students will accomplish great things and lead the way for those in the generations to come. The students for the USWO have shown not only their intelligence and skills within turfgrass management, but also their kindness and dedication to growing the industry. The future looks bright, and I cannot wait to help bring it forward.
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