Saugus High gets girls golf

SAUGUS-The School Committee last week got into the swing of things and voted to approve the formation of a girls’ golf team.It wasn’t done without conditions, however.Jeff Mitchell, who will coach the team, said he had to get pretty much everything donated or it wouldn’t fly.Because there is a tentative shortfall in the Athletic Department’s revolving account, School Committee member Christine Wilson said the sport had to be self-sustaining.To do that Mitchell, got Cedar Glen Golf Course to donate green time and the Department of Youth and Recreation offered its van along with the School Department’s sunshine van.”With user fees it will be self-funding,” Wilson said.Wilson said she also wanted to let her colleagues know that she would be helping to coach the team, but as a volunteer.”I do not get paid, so I can vote on this,” she said. “I just wanted to disclose that.”Mitchell, who also coaches the boys’ high school golf team, said he first got the idea for a girls’ varsity team last year. Instead of establishing a varsity team, Mitchell started a club team to see if the interest was there. He said he had 14 girls participate and it was great.When Mitchell held the first sign-up for the official team last week, he had 18 girls enroll immediately and expects there will be a few more.Mitchell said he has about 10 girls who will compose a traveling team and actually compete in matches. He said the rest of the girls will work on learning the game and as they get better he’ll phase them into competitions.The girls will have to travel to play as the team joins St. Mary’s in Lynn as the only other school to have a girls golf team.”All of the teams are on the South Shore so there will be a lot of traveling but the girls will like it,” Mitchell said.Mitchell said there is another reason in pushing the girls’ golf team – equality. There are 44 guys on the men’s golf team and Mitchell felt it was time for a women’s team.”I just want to make it available,” he said.