Four years at the University of B.C. Okanagan in Kelowna have passed very quickly and local golfer Emily Adams is now a graduate of the school’s kinesiology program and golf team.
“I passed everything so that’s good,” said Adams, 22, of obtaining her degree.
She also passed with flying colours for her superb play on the golf course and her presence on the team will be missed.
“It went really well,” Adams conceded. “It was a lot of fun, nice way to finish.”
She helped lead the UBC Okanagan women’s golf team into the national collegiate championships in Ontario hosted by Durham College of Oshawa at Royal Ashburn Golf Club in the culmination to her final season last October.
Only Adams and second-year player Makenna Lesiuk could make the trip so every shot counted and there was no margin for error. Teams normally enter three players and use the two best scores.
“We had to use both of our scores every single day,” noted Adams.
They still managed to earn fifth place among nine teams while the UBC Okanagan men came second.
“We continue to play for as long as we can till the snow comes and then we do our own individual training,” Adams said of the agenda that followed the tournament for the rest of her time at the school.
They returned in the spring for games, although no formal tournaments are held during that time.
“It was fantastic,” Adams summed up. “It was probably the best experience I could have asked for. My coaches and teammates were so great. I’m happy I went up there.”
Before graduating from Chemainus Secondary School in 2014, Adams went to Kelowna for a visit.
“I checked out the campus and I really liked the golf coach,” she recalled.
The relationship with coach Cassidy Hritzuk remained strong throughout her time there after she made the decision to attend the school.
It was always a process to keep improving and sometimes had ups and downs.
“In my second year, one (assistant) coach wanted to change a couple of things in my swing,” explained Adams. “It didn’t go as well as I liked.”
She made the change back to her more accustomed grip at the end of her third year. “I’ve been hitting the ball way better since.”
Now that’s she graduated, Adams said there’s “a few jobs I’ve looked into.”
A couple are kinesiology-related jobs in Nanaimo and she’s also considering getting her pro card for golf and eventually doing some teaching. Adams has worked the past several years in the Mount Brenton Golf Club pro shop and is continuing there this summer.
Long-term, she’d like to return to school to obtain a Masters degree. But that won’t be for at least a year while she takes a break from school.
There’s other things Adams wants to do with her time as well. “I’d like to do some travelling,” she said.
