Lady Bobcats on course to defend titles

By Lisa Paine
Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008

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By Lisa Paine
VIEW Sports Editor

GRAND BLANC — Senior Shana Bauer now carries the family golf tradition alone on her slim shoulders as older sisters Megan and Ashley graduated several years apart. Bauer is not alone however, as senior Sara Dolan has steadily improved her game and is the other senior to anchor the girls’ golf team at Grand Blanc this season.

The history of girls’ golf at the school is long and storied, with six state titles since 2000, and four of the five won in the past five years. The squad earned its sixth-straight Big Nine title last year and was ranked No. 2 in Div. 1.

Expected to return this season is junior Sam McAllen, who like the others before her has earned her spot on the multi-talented squad. Dolan set her own history last year at the state meet when she finished in second place, just one stroke behind the Walled Lake Central winner. In doing so, Dolan carded a pair of 70s, marking the first time she had broken 80. Bauer was fifth with a final score of 205.
Eleven-year coach and highly respected golf maven Martha Ryan has continued to take the program to its greatest heights, all while following simple and steady goals.

“What I am asking is that we learn how to rally around one another when the going gets tough for them individually,” Ryan explained prior to the start of the season last year. “The girls prepare well, they have everything in their bag for all weather conditions over a five-hour period. They are prepared mentally and physically. They are determined and they are a neat group.”

Ryan stressed the mental skills that supplement the physical game, giving her girls the edge when weather, the competition and a slew of other obstacles unravels others. Number-one among those is to take one day at a time, one opponent at a time.

On the slate for another season are state powerhouses such as Alpena, Bay City Central, No. 10-ranked in 2007 Clarkston, Davison, Flint Southwestern, Carman-Ainsworth, Flushing, Lake Orion, Midland, Midland Dow, Port Huron, Port Huron Northern, Romeo, Saginaw Heritage, No. 7-ranked in 2007 Traverse City Central and No. 6-ranked Traverse City West.

Mere strokes got the team past Traverse City and Lake Orion in key play during the 2007 season, and that is likely going to be the scene again as Dolan and Bauer can be considered nothing but seasoned veterans. Bauer is a four-year varsity player, who takes advantage of every off-season opportunity to compete against the state’s best. Dolan will no doubt take last season’s stellar success to the next level as she is looked upon as one of the senior leaders.