Victories and defeats are factored into every sports campaign. Each squad has an ebb and flow of the season, as losses can fuel improvement and wins act as the culmination of made progress.
For the Santa Monica High School girls golf unit, the ups and downs have been a little different. The team has seen more than its fair share of losses, many not the players or coaches’ fault, as the Lady Vikings were forced to forfeit matches due to lack of participation. Even as the defeats piled up, the girls did not lose hope, feeling that one day they will have the requisite roster to compete and eventually conquer competition.
In 2023, that day has come. On September 14, the Lady Vikings picked up a win over Redondo Union at Alondra Park Golf Course in Lawndale. Coach Roshni Mejia said the victory was the first in a "very, very, very long time," something that can set the table for her future plans.
"My vision for (the team) is building a program, so it’s not just a one-off, or it’s not just these kids coming in and playing for two years, and then leaving because (we’re) not building a proper program. So we started with … barely any girls … and now we have 12 girls on the team, which is a huge, huge thing," Mejia said.
Now in her second year as the coach on the course, Mejia converted recruits during the athletic sign-up period, knowing the benefits the game can provide the team for both the present and future. Although much of the roster lacks long-term experience, giving the girls a chance to break the barrier of the "elite" and expensive sport is a victory within itself.
"I want to show the girls that it’s also helpful for networking, and you don’t have to play in college, but for business … just knowing your way around the course is super important," she said.
The team fights an uphill battle each season, as golf is one of the only sports where squads must pay to play and pay to practice. Leaving the confines of Samohi to practice at Penmar Golf Course and Rancho Park Golf Course, the bill comes back to the program, which does not generate any revenue for the school. Mejia and crew fundraises frequently to foot the bill, with the majority of money coming from an annual tournament at Penmar. The 2023 edition of The Little Viking Golf Tournament will be held on October 21, with a fundraising goal of $10,000 after last year’s event added $5,000 to the team’s coffers.
Not just for the current girls on the golf squad, Mejia hopes the funds received can lead to gaining sets of clubs and equipment to help encourage access for those unaccustomed to the course.
"We want to encourage kids that don’t have a chance to pick up golf," the coach said. "So we want to expand it to where we can buy equipment and things like that, that can be a deterrent for people to join golf."
Joining the team over the past few years have been standouts like team captain Frances Aguilar, who helped the Lady Vikings claim a long-awaited victory this month. A sophomore at Samohi, Aguilar had been playing golf since Kindergarten, but did not know the team was an option until she arrived on campus.
"(I) went to the tryouts and everyone was so sweet," Aguilar said. "I (said) yeah, this is what I want to do. I want to be here with all these people. And now they’re my best friends."
One of her comrades on the course has seen all of the program’s ups and downs. Captain and senior Kara Best helped lead the recruiting charge over the past few years, and says that after forfeiting every match in her freshman year due to lack of players, just getting into the action is a nice feeling. Bringing in more experienced players like Aguilar ups the ante, with the win over Redondo reinforcing her decision to stick it out through her senior campaign.
"That was really exciting for us, because before, we didn’t really have a lot of players in the past years," Best said. "It’s my last season, so it was nice to get a win."
The Lady Vikings have faced battles with recruiting, funding, and fighting for public space with golfers who Mejia said "didn’t appreciate a bunch of kids" being on the course. After the win, the sullen attitude has turned to smiles, all due to the commitment and character of the roster.
"There’s a lot of camaraderie, and the girls just really work together to make sure that they’re encouraging each other to be successful," Mejia said. "As much as golf is a solitary sport … they are helping each other and they’re making sure each other is successful out there on the course."
