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Junior Mi-Heui "Mickey'' Cho will be joined at Saddlebrook this season by top junior players from France and Brazil.
By JAMAL THALJI
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 31, 2000
WESLEY CHAPEL -- There's something odd about the defending Class A state champions.
And it's the fact that only one golfer on Saddlebrook's 2000 roster helped win the state title in 1999.
Her name is Mi-Heui "Mickey" Cho, and the junior is the only familiar face on a Spartans' roster that has undergone radical change this off-season. Graduation claimed Jameica Duncombe, a two-time Times All-North Suncoast Player of the Year in 1997 and '98 who now plays for South Florida, and Ella Asbun, who attends Vanderbilt.
Junior Aimee Cho, the Times 1999 Pasco County Player of the Year, transferred to Lake Highland Prep in Orlando.
Senior Miriam Kraschniski would have taken over the No. 1 position, but a career-threatening shoulder injury has her sidelined this fall.
It got to the point where Saddlebrook coach Roberta Speer found herself in the spring facing a dilemma usually pondered by her public school coaching colleagues: Would the Spartans even be able to put together a foursome to defend their title?
"I was thinking "What are we going to do for girls?"' Speer said. "We didn't even know how many girls we were going to have."
Then again, this is Saddlebrook, one of the world's elite golf academies.
"Fortunately we were able to acquire some new players to fill in the gaps," Speer said, in what may be the understatement of the season.
Kelly Froelich, a 14-year-old who Speer said is one of the top five junior players in France, joins the lineup this season, and with her tournament experience, she could be the new No. 1.
"Kelly is tall and strong for a 14-year-old girl," Speer said.
"I think where Kelly is, she has a lot of raw talent and we have a lot to work with here, just honing her game."
Top Brazilian junior golfer Mariana DeBiase, a junior, also brings experience to the team. Then there are some returning students joining the team this season: Seniors Victoria Davis and Claudia Ramirez of Mexico, and 13-year-old Alaskan talent Hana Young.
Plus, Cho, who is still recovering from should surgery and has just recently started swinging a club again.
It may be a while before she returns to her old form.
"We feel blessed now that we have a full team," Speer said, "and it is full of good players. We're going to have a lot of competition."
This team is undoubtedly talented. But there are many questions to answer.
Many of the new additions also have to adjust to the climate, the weather and the grass, for example. Team chemistry is the biggest quandary, though. Players like Duncombe and Asbun longed for that state title.
Who will be the leaders this year?
Speer readily admits this group may not gel until the spring -- unlike their public school counterparts, the competition doesn't end for Saddlebrook golfers -- but the Class A Florida finals are Nov. 7.
But they're also determined not merely to defend a state title, but to win one of their own.
"They're excited about it," the coach said.
"Just because we're younger doesn't mean we can't do it. They're enthusiastic, and that's half the battle."
GULF BUCCANEERS
HOME COURSE: Fox Hollow
OUTLOOK: Lindsay Murvine and Christy Facemire are both playing for Webber College in Lake Wales. So the Bucs almost didn't field a team this season, and will still be looking for a fourth to truly be competitive. Until then, senior Nina Klingenbeck and freshmen Tanya Clark and Amanda Emmerson will be carrying the load.
COACH JERRY YOUNG SAYS: "We're going to play our matches and just hope we get four soon. They'll play as individuals, and hopefully I'll find the fourth I'm looking for so we can compete."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Klingenbeck is shooting in the 40s and is Gulf's most experienced talent.
HOME COURSE: Meadow Oaks
OUTLOOK: The Cobras lost Kathleen Cummings to Ridgewood and last year's No. 2, Jackie Ledbetter, graduated. So it's another rebuilding season for Hudson, which needs to find a lineup behind junior Tanya Beck, who just recently picked up the game but is already showing promise. Senior Katie Hadley and junior Antoneette DeVito also return.
COACH JAMIE VARGO SAYS: "This will be a building year again, and hopefully we'll be okay."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Beck is a talent the coach unearthed herself. "She's a hard worker, and she's got the natural athletic ability, so she's picking up the game quickly."
HOME COURSE: Quail Hollow
OUTLOOK: It will improve as soon as the Gators start swinging again. Many of the golfers didn't train this off-season, so they're going to be rusty. Senior Quick Locklear will assume the top spot vacated by 1999 SAC Golfer of the Year Maria Nillson. Freshman Tasha Ryals has stood out and will be the No. 2. Sophomore Michelle Hausman and junior Jessica Reynolds also return.
COACH JOAN KERWIN SAYS: "I think they'll start putting their games together, but it'll be midseason before we see some progress."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Ryals, the freshman, already has a good long and short game.
HOME COURSE: Heritage Springs
OUTLOOK: Plenty of potential fills the Mustangs' ranks. Freshman Amanda Moore is the No. 1 player. Laura Reeves, Katie Taylor, Christina Beach, Amanda Palmer and Julie Reeves will all contribute to Mitchell this season.
COACH STEVE KNOBL SAYS: "I think we're going to be competitive right off the bat for conference. I realize a brand-new school means a lot of underclassmen, that I may be setting the standards too high, but I feel comfortable challenging them."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Moore brings junior golf experience to the links, and has great accuracy and a strong work ethic.
No information provided.
HOME COURSE: The Links of Hudson.
OUTLOOK: Stronger with the addition of Kathleen Cummings from Hudson. But Cummings has to overcome a knee injury before she can contribute. Juniors Rachel Rauber and Debbie Romer and senior Miranda Rembiesa are all back.
COACH JIM BERTOLLO SAYS: "I think our team has a lot of potential if we play up to our caliber. I think a lot of it has to do with the injury to Kathleen. If Kathleen is healthy and can play, we have a very good chance of being successful this year."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Cummings has the ability, but if she recovers from injury she may be rusty.
HOME COURSE: River Ridge
OUTLOOK: The Royal Knights return a veteran team. Senior Erin McGrail, junior Meghan Beach and sophomore Tara Pickens will all be counted on this season. Freshman Heather Hagerman is also coming on strong and will bolster an experienced team.
GOLFER TO WATCH: The top seed will be sophomore Stefanie Simon, who possesses natural ability and is strong off the tee.
COACH JAN OBARA SAYS: "We have a really good team. We have some good kids who came out this year, they're already shooting in the 40s, and we're excited about having some returners from last year."
HOME COURSE: Saddlebrook.
OUTLOOK: Jameica Duncombe and Ellas Asbun graduated. Gone are Aimee Cho, who transferred to Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, and senior Miriam Kraschinski, who is out for the season with a career-threatening shoulder injury. But the defending Class A state champs are still loaded: Kelly Froelich, one of France's top junior players, joins the team, as does top Brazilian junior Mariana DeBiase. Tori Davis, Clauda Ramirez and 13-year-old Hanna Young are also strong.
COACH ROBERTA SPEER SAYS: "We've got talent, it's just a case of us fine-tuning it and making it better. That's why so many kids come here. They don't have the opportunity for competition where they're coming from."
GOLFER TO WATCH: The return of the lone member of the '99 state champions, Hi-Heui "Mickey" Cho, from shoulder surgery is crucial.
HOME COURSE: Tampa Bay
OUTLOOK: With a new coach in the program's second season, the Wildcats are still in the building mode. Junior Chantel Husted returns from last season's inaugural squad. Sophomore Nicki Bryant, a transfer from Tennessee, is also showing promise. Backing up those two will be sophomores Stephanie Alonzo, Tuesday Wilson and Amber Moore.
COACH GERALD SAVOY SAYS: "It's a new team. We've got two experienced players we're building around, the others are just coming in and working hard. We feel we've got some players."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Husted, the lone returner, is battling Bryant for the top seed. "She's dedicated to her game and this program every day," Savoy said.
HOME COURSE: Silver Oaks, Hidden Creek
OUTLOOK: Graduation has left the Bulldogs in a rebuilding mode. Senior Lindsey Howell, who last played as a sophomore, returns to bolster the squad. Senior Carlyn Young, sophomores Kared Hogard, Megan Fields and Kassidy Chauncey and freshman Morgan Griffin will all see playing time. But the team is so inexperienced, Scotland Yards and the Links of Lake Bernadette had to donate clubs for several players.
COACH CHUCK LAIL SAYS: "We are what I would call a novice team. We have a lot of beginners here. We're totally rebuilding."
GOLFER TO WATCH: Howell has experience in match play, which the team desperately needs. "She's a stabilizing influence," the coach said.