Hall of Famer Osborne returns to familiar place - state
We know practice makes perfect. The only girls golf coach St. Charles East has known, Rod Osborne, is hoping his team realizes perfection a third time at a state setting.
Dubbing himself "a big practice person," Osborne once again has the Saints translating their work on the range and putting green to success in competition.
For the 11th time in his 20 seasons, St. Charles East qualified for the state tournament after the Saints took the 9-team Class AA Rockford Guilford sectional on Monday at Ingersoll Golf Club.
"The kids this year, they started out with a win at an invitational, then they didn't play very well for a couple weeks," said Osborne, who enters Class AA play with a 247-46 lifetime record.
"But since the middle of the season they've been coming on. They're just amazing me with their consistency, and with the depth on the team as well."
Senior Jenny Niemiec and junior Nicole Rae, carding 81s at Ingersoll, had scores among the top eight advancing individuals. The consistency and depth Osborne referenced had Niemiec and Rae joined by Rebecca Norris, Kate VenHorst, Kathryn Belanger and Paige Jordan to produce a 19-stroke margin over second-place Galesburg, the biggest difference between scores on the day.
Freshman Jordan will take the first drive the tee box in Class AA competition, 8:30 a.m. Friday, on hole No. 1 at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale - the latest chapter of Osborne's career that has produced state titles in 1993 and 1999 and, of course, the 2009 Upstate Eight Conference title.
The Illinois Coaches Association recommends a 20-year career for Hall of Fame consideration of golf coaches, but when Osborne was inducted last May in Bloomington he'd had 19 seasons under his belt. Actually, Geneva's Bill Koehn nominated him the prior year, so the then-18-year coach had no problem getting in.
"If you do a lot of good things, I guess they don't worry about the 20-year (guideline)," said Osborne, who enjoyed another milestone on Oct. 9, the 27th anniversary of his wedding to wife Laura, former assistant athletic director at St. Charles and St. Charles East.
"The Hall of Fame is a great honor, because your peers select you, and the feeling is one of the major things is your contribution to junior golf in the state of Illinois," Rod Osborne said.
He's chaperoned summer camp in Florida, conducted lessons for the park district and junior golf tourneys, and has run spring and summer camps for middle-school golfers.
Starting his teaching career at the age of 37, a decade later than most educators, Osborne began in District 303 at Richmond and Anderson Elementary schools. Throughout his 22 years teaching physical education in the district - the last 15 with the Saints - he's coached basketball, track and cross country, and has coached both sexes.
He's obviously found a niche with girls golf.
"They seem to be more receptive," Osborne said. "Many of them have a little more relaxed temperament than the boys. I know when I was a boy I never was as calm as some of these girls are."
The 58-year-old will be retiring from teaching after the 2010-11 academic year. He is uncertain whether he'll continue coaching.
A man who gets a thrill out of fruitful practice sessions, though, may find it hard to turn that passion off.
"I try to get the most out of the kids I can, with what I have to work with," Osborne said. "When you see nice things carried out, that's what you're looking for as a coach, is that improvement."
Three more wins! Three more wins!
Going 3-0 Tuesday at No. 1 doubles with partner Hannah Potter, Batavia senior Kim Sawyer has 107 victories for her career. That ranks her second in program history to the 109 tallied by Sawyer's former doubles partner, Alexa Scofield (who, as No. 1 singles player at Waubonsee Community College, qualified for nationals in May).
If a school record for Sawyer is in the offing, it would come at the rugged Naperville North sectional. A new record-setter could be on the horizon, Batavia coach Brad Nelson hints. Potter, a sophomore, already has 50 victories.
Quote of the week
Aurora Central Catholic's football team was driving on Montini last week in ACC's Suburban Christian Conference Blue loss. ACC had first down at around Montini's 20-yard line when consecutive holding calls backed them up.
Honest Chargers coach Mike Curry reflected on that scenario.
"I don't have a play for first-and-30," he said.
A real hallmark
Have you purchased that perfect clipboard? Perhaps a lovely chrome-plated whistle?
Maybe just a thoughtful card or even a hug will do.
You haven't forgotten?
Oct. 15 is National Coaches Day.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com