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Adjustments all around for two of county's best

Rivals Ashley Aguilera and T.J. Adipietro prepared for their season in different ways.

By IZZY GOULD
Published August 23, 2005

WESLEY CHAPEL - They seem poised for a run at various titles.

Conference, district, region and states all seem within reach.

Mitchell's Ashley Aguilera and Wesley Chapel's T.J. Adipietro were among Pasco County's elite golfers in 2004.

But championships are rare and require powerful drives, crisp irons and clean putts.

Aguilera and Adipietro have excelled with each stroke. But compiling a near perfect series of shots from tee box to hole remains the elusive task.

Roadblocks throughout the offseason tested each as they sharpened their skills.

Adipietro may have overcome the toughest obstacles.

Her mother, Tracey, said a tumble down a flight of stairs followed by a spill from a golf cart resulted in her daughter missing 60 school days as a freshman.

"It was unbelievable," Tracey said. "I finally took her to a chiropractor in April and they finally fixed her."

Tracey said the accidents happened within weeks of each other during the 2004 postseason.

Adipietro, a sophomore, fought through the injuries to came in second in the Sunshine Athletic Conference tournament and the Class 2A, District 7 tournament.

That didn't help her recovery.

"She destroyed herself by playing because she overcompensated," Tracey said. "She couldn't turn. She's lucky she's even playing because she pushed herself to the extreme."

Physical therapy was difficult. Tracey took her daughter to various doctors and chiropractors.

"She went all over the place," Tracey said. "It was going up her neck giving her migraines and making her throw up. It went all the way to April."

Since April, Adipietro has focused on fine tuning her game. Her mother said she won a $1,000 scholarship for her play in a local summer league and was named player of the year.

Wildcats coach Steve Mumaw is fast learning his top player is someone to brag about.

"She's just a top class individual," Mumaw said. "She's a good student and a good kid. She really works hard at her golf game."

Adipietro's toughest competition should be Aguilera, the defending SAC champion.

Aguilera helped lead Mitchell to a 2A state berth and a 10th-place finish; the Mustangs also continued a 51-match regular-season unbeaten streak.

Aguilera spent most of her offseason on golf courses. If she wasn't practicing she was teaching fundamentals to young boys at a local summer camp.

And that forced her to assess her own mechanics. Less than two months ago she said she completely reconfigured her swing.

"My swing looks a lot better than it did last year," Aguilera said. "I should be more consistent."

A change in swing seems drastic so close to her senior year. But Aguilera insists her focus is on the long term rather than claiming high accolades.

Still, she glows when recalling Mitchell's success during her career.

"Last year was a great year," Aguilera said. "We had so much fun and got so much accomplished. All of us should do really well."

[Last modified August 23, 2005, 02:45:30]