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| Glenville golf team members Marcus and Godfrey on the driving range at Shawnee Hills Golf Course |
The 2019 golf season has just finished with our Glenville Tarblooders as Senate League champs with a season record of 9-1. We all enjoyed watching them make progress every week as they continue to learn this complex sport which is new to most of the team members.
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| Coach Devin Demaske with freshman Tarblooder, Marcus |
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| Coach Demaske with senior Tarblooder, DeAndre |
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| Isaiah, a senior, during a match with Lincoln West HS |
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| Deion after a rough time on the green during a match |
Coach Devin Demaske, with three years as golf coach and a social studies teacher at the Ginn Academy since 2008, is passionate about young people in the community and also the sport of golf. He has played for about 30 years.
This year's team had solid veteran leadership from seniors, Godfrey Ballah, 2017 Senate Champion Percy Bradley, 2018 and 2019 Senate League All Star Deion Jackson-Washington, and 2017 Senate Champ, 2019 All Star and Team Captain Isaiah Priester. Also, leading the squad was senior and co-captain DeAndre Norris, who was also named a Senate League All Star this year. Playing for the first year and poised be the future of the team was Marcus Dixon (Freshman). The team played their home matches at Shawnee Hills golf course this season.
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| Marcus and Godfrey on the putting green |
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| DeAndre during a match |
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| Isaiah and DeAndre during a match |
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| Marcus, right, with a fellow golfer from Lincoln West HS |
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| Godfrey on the driving range |
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| Deion during a match |
Isaiah Priester has written the rest of this blog post for us to talk about his experiences being a Ginn Man and what he and his teammates are learning from being on the golf team.
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| Isaiah, author of the following essay, on the putting green at Shawnee Hills |
The Glenville Golf Team, by Isaiah Priester
My name is Isaiah and I am a senior at The Ginn Academy. I enjoy going to school and learning new things. As a student-athlete, I am a member of the golf, bowling, and track teams. Being an avid swimmer for many years, I get to use my swimming talent as a lifeguard during the summer. My favorite food is seafood. My spare time is spent with friends and family, especially my mom who is a teacher at The Ginn Academy.
I chose to attend the Ginn Academy as a ninth grader. The Ginn Academy is the first and only all-male public high school in the state of Ohio. The school’s tenets include scholarship, leadership, and service. We show this by having respect for each other and our teachers, and having the courage to be different; to be Ginn Men.
The Ginn Academy is more than just academics. We also participate in community service, leadership, and character-building initiatives, and have the opportunity to participate in post-secondary programs like High Tech Academy where students maintain dual enrollment at the Academy and Cuyahoga Community College allowing us to earn college credits.
Our uniforms are very unique. They consist of black or white shirts, black dress pants, black dress shoes, red blazer, and a neck tie or bow tie. Also, there is a designated tie that is specific to each grade level. After becoming a senior and completing rites of passage, a unique uniform of a grey suit is worn for specific days and events. These are just some of the reasons that I came to the Ginn Academy.
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| Tarblooders at practice |
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| Godfrey and Marcus on the driving range |
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| DeAndre, 2019 Senate League All Star |
As a sophomore, I joined the Glenville Golf team under the leadership of our coach, Mr. Devin Demaske. The sport seemed like a lot of fun to play and also offers college scholarships. During my first year on the golf team, I had a lot of fun bonding with my teammates, meeting new people and competing against other teams in the school district. Golf is a friendly sport. All of the teams got to know each other and we had a great golf season. In August of 2017 , the Glenville golf team won the championship and celebrated at Ted Ginn, Sr.’s restaurant.
I began my second year of playing golf as a junior, having really learned the game and continued to meet new people as our team evolved. My teammates are Deion, Godfrey, DeAndre, Percy and Marcus. Our team continued to get better during the 2019 golf season. We continued to have fun and encourage each other to do well. There were also a lot of fun times in getting to and from our games. We enjoyed playing cards on the way to our games as a way to relax before our competitions. After each win, Coach Demaske always treated us to pizza or McDonald’s.
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| The 2019 Senate League All Stars |
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| 2019 Senate League golf champions: the Glenville Tarblooders |
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| 2019 Senate League golf champions: the Glenville Tarblooders |
During our practices, we competed amongst our team on the putting green where the winner received extra food and beverages. I have improved my skills as a golfer. My first year playing golf was ok because I wasn’t that good and was still learning the game. During my second year, my golf game got better and I earned the title of having the best swing on the team.
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| Percy with the Senate League championship trophy |
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| Marcus tees off at Highland Golf Course at the Senate League championship with students from Lincoln West and John Hay |
Marcus’s first year of playing golf was a success. He was a good putter and had a consistently good swing. He always encouraged us as a team. Deion also had a good second year on the golf team because he had the lowest scores in every match but always remained the cool and chilled team mate. In addition to being a good putter and having a good swing, Percy was the funniest member on the team for the past three years. Godfrey and Marcus, like the rest of us, continued to improve their games in both swinging and putting.
Golf is an individual as well as a team sport. I truly enjoy the game of golf and being a part of the Glenville High School Golf Team.
