THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Practice made perfect for Currie on links
This week was scheduled to be a big one for Lake City High senior Kyla Currie.
Golf tournaments at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, as well as another match at the Hayden Lake Country Club.
Instead, like many other seniors around the nation, she’s just trying to make the most of what is supposed to be her final days as a Timberwolf.
FOR NOW, Currie has been able to adapt to online learning at Lake City due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down schools until the end of the school year in June.
“My mom (Pauline) is a high school teacher, and she told my brother and I that we’re going to be on a schedule during this,” Currie said. “I’ve been getting up and doing schoolwork until about 10 a.m., and been going to the golf course. But I can’t play as much as I want to. I can go hit whenever, but can’t go play as much. With so many people coming from Washington (courses are closed in that state), it’s hard to get out and play.”
As far as classes go ...
“It’s been a big adjustment,” Currie said. “Before, a lot of stuff was online and on Google Classroom. Having everything online, it’s really tough to focus. I get distracted super easily, and I’d have to do the same in a classroom, so I’d have to pay attention a lot more. I really miss all of my friends too. A lot of them, I probably won’t see after high school because they’re going to Boise State. It’s been hard as well not seeing them every day.”
Currie was a two-time medalist at state (top 10 individuals), finishing seventh at state as a sophomore and tied for sixth as a junior. She was shooting between 76 and 83 before the season was postponed due to coronavirus.
“I’ve been working with Dan Porter, who is my swing coach and professional at Avondale,” Currie said. “I had some lessons with him and practiced each day for a hour with him over the summer, working on putting and chipping. I just practiced a lot.”
Sometimes, that also meant Lake City girls golf coach Corey Owen had to encourage her to ease up on herself.
“There’s been times she isn’t hitting the ball well, and she wants to be perfect every time she swings,” Owen said. “There’s been a few times where I’ve had to tell her to take five more swings, go home, and forget about it. And that mentality of wanting to be perfect every time has got her to where she is.”
The state 5A golf tournament was scheduled to take place May 11-12 at Avondale Golf Club in Hayden Lake. But spring sports were suspended by the Idaho High School Activities Association in mid-March, and the IHSAA ended up pulling the plug on the rest of the season when it met Friday.
“I was super excited for that,” Currie said of playing state at Avondale. “I pretty much grew up playing or practicing at Avondale, then starting going to Coeur d’Alene Golf Club more often in high school. It still could have been an advantage.”
“I’m incredibly bummed for her,” Owen said. “Avondale is where she grew up. That’s the hard thing with golf. Our course (Coeur d’Alene Golf Club) is open, but the state isn’t going to make exceptions when it comes to canceling the season. If the track kids can’t compete, they’re not going to let us do it. They’re not going to make an exception.”
GOLF WASN’T a sport that Currie started playing early on.
“Growing up, I played soccer, basketball and softball,” Currie said. “I got a set of golf clubs when I was 10 and started in the First Tee program. I continued to get better and it got to the point where I fell in love with the game. I talked to my neighbor (Porter) and have stuck with golf ever since. I quit playing soccer, and that was it. I just kind of stuck with it.”
“She’s a very special kid in the sense that she’s talented, but also very hard working,” Owen said. “She’s the first one on the course and the last one to leave. She was shooting in the high 80s as a freshman, and turned into one of the best golfers in the state. And that comes from hard work. She’s just a workhorse.”
Lake City was scheduled to open the season at the Lewiston Invitational on March 16, but spring sports were suspended shortly before then.
“At first, I was kind of devastated and was really excited to play my senior year,” Currie said. “I just stuck with it and thought that we’re going to go back. It hit me a lot harder that we weren’t going to back to school this year. It really hit me because I’d missed my season.”
Currie signed to golf at NAIA Lewis-Clark State in December.
“They were the first school that contacted me,” Currie said. “I started talking to the coach (Kyla Lien) and was researching the school. I went and visited in July, and just fell in love with the school and how close it was. The coach’s name is Kyla too, and I really loved her vibe. She’s young too, and after that day, I knew that’s where I wanted to go.”
At Lewis-Clark State, Currie plans to study kinesiology and eventually become an occupational therapist.
“She’s a pleasure to have in class and is highly regarded as a student among her teachers,” Owen said. “She’s a role model and works hard. She gives 100% in whatever she does.”
And while it doesn’t seem likely she’ll be able to take classes again at Lake City, Currie holds out some hope.
“It would be nice to see everyone one last time,” Currie said. “Being able to say goodbye to all the teachers and walk through the halls again, it would mean a lot to me.”
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.
