At the Village Country Club in Vandenburg Village on Wednesday afternoon, it didn/t matter what the final score was or who the medalist turned out to be.

What mattered the most was that the Cabrillo High girl/s golf team was hosting Morro Bay in a dual match.

For the first time in school history, there is actually a girls golf team at the school.

A dream by senior Kellie George to have a team finally came true. Through months of hard work and persistance, George was able to convince the powers that be and now nine girls are representing Cabrillo on the links.

For the record, Morro Bay defeated the Conquistdores 281-324 and, poetically, George was the medalist with a score of 45.

&#8220I didn/t think I was gonna pull it off but I did,C said George about her round. &#8220I had some rough holes, I got a double bogie. Other than that I did pretty good.C

George started off with two pars.

&#8220That was great, I haven/t done that in a long time,C she explained. &#8220Normally I bogie everything, so I was all excited 7then I bogied (the next hole).C

Playing with Morro Bay/s top two players McKenna Corriea (49) and Dawn Williams (54), along with teammate Paige Hurlbut (67), George was very relaxed. She joked with the other players, complimented good shots and encouraged them after a bad shot.

It was definitely the proper attitude for a golfer who was basically a lone wolf for the last three years.

&#8220Kellie went out on her own as a solo player and represented Cabrillo,C explained Conqs coach Gini Shekell. &#8220It was just her and that was it.C

&#8220She has wanted to have a girls golf team,C Shekell continued. &#8220She decided last year that, for her senior project, she wanted to put together the team.C

George talked to students at Vandenburg Middle School and Cabrillo to see if there was any interest and, finding there was, she went to athletic director Bob Boyer.

&#8220Before he said there wasn/t any money,C said George, &#8220but this year I just kept pursuing it and never let him alone.C

&#8220I told him I/d fund-raise the money,C she continued, &#8220and he said fine, if you fund-raise the money, you can have the team.C

Shekell came on board in the spring and said she would coach, then things began to progress quickly.

&#8220This spring we made an announcement and 17 girls showed up to play,C George said. &#8220Now there/s nine of us.C

&#8220Coach is awesome,C she continued, &#8220I/m glad she did it otherwise we probably wouldn/t be out here.C

And Coach Shekell is a firm believer in female athletics, something she really didn/t have offered to her in school.

&#8220Back then all we had was swimming and I didn/t like to swim,C Shekell explained. &#8220It is really important participating in sports. It/s a real learning thing for kids. It teaches them responsibility and teaches them so much more than the game of golf.C

With a ,2,000 donation from the Junior Golf Association at the country club, Cabrillo has been able to start the program. Of the nine members on the team, there are two sophomores, six freshmen and George, the senior, which bodes well for the future of the program. It is, however going to be a learning experience for the squad.

&#8220Some of the girls have never played before they came out,C explained Shekell. &#8220We/ve been fortunate to have the Village Country Club pro Bob Kotowski and a member Nels Lund who have come out and really helped these girls a lot.C

&#8220In fact,C she went on, &#8220before our matches the girls are looking for Nels to have a pep talk. They/ve learned a lot from him and I/m really grateful to have them both out here.C

For the last three years ,George has competed as a single player in Los Padres League tournaments.

&#8220Just me,C she said. &#8220Just the tournaments, it/s more an individual thing and I ranked sixth place every year, freshman, sophomore and junior.C

Now with a team behind her, George has a chance to qualify for the CIF playoffs.

&#8220I wouldn/t have qualified without a team,C George said, even if she finished high enough in the season rankings. &#8220But this year, my second goal is to go to CIF.C

Of course, the first goal was to get a team together. Mission accomplished. And George and her coach are realistic about what will happen this season.

&#8220This year we are not very good, but it really doesn/t matter,C George claimed. &#8220We/re all out here having fun. Alnost all of them are beginners.C

&#8220I/m very impressed with them,C Shekell said about her team. &#8220They really want to do well, they/ve got a great attitude. They go out there and if they muff a couple shots or whatever they just go >Oh well/ and just keep going.C

George has been an inspirational leader as well as team leader to the younger players and she appreciates her teammates just as much.

&#8220It/s awesome, you see all these other girls out there with their teams and they have this little support group,C she explained. &#8220Now I have my own support group. If I did bad at one of the tournaments, I had no one to cheer me up except my grandma. But now I do.C

Shekell is now in for the long haul, with all freshmen and sophomores, the future looks great for Cabrillo girl/s golf.

&#8220That/s our goal to keep it going,C Shekell said. &#8220We/ll just have fundraisers and keep playing.C

The Cabrillo golf team will hold a fundraising barbeque on Saturday, Oct. 6 in the Wal-Mart parking lot from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information or delivery service, call Coach Shekell at 733-5243.

The Conqs compete in their first league tournament this afternoon at the Morro Bay Country Club. They will play Lompoc at La Purisima on Monday.

September 27, 2007