Glenbrook North golfer Kuwahara suffers shock
It should not be shocking that Glenbrook North sophomore Martha Kuwahara started the girls golf season strong.
In the 2022 Class 2A state finals, she placed eighth individually, helping the Spartans to a third-place team finish.
In April, she won her 14-15 girls age group at the national Drive, Chip & Putt contest at Augusta National Golf Club.
In May, she won the Illinois Junior Golf Association Medinah Shrine Junior Invitational.
What's shocking is Kuwahara has played well since suffering an electric shock in a malfunctioning Jacuzzi in July.
Speaking last week from Michigan, where she tied for fifth at the American Junior Golf Association Randy Wise Junior Open, Kuwahara said she still wears leg compresses following the incident.
After a July 10 practice round for the AJGA Future Legends Junior Championship in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Kuwahara said she and another golfer entered a Jacuzzi at her hotel.
"We went into the Jacuzzi and started hearing a weird sound, and the next thing I knew my whole body started shaking," Martha said.
"I was able to get myself out because only half my body was immersed in the water, but my legs were locked, I couldn't move my legs.
"I crawled myself out with my arms, but even after getting out my calves and my legs were still hurting. It felt like my legs were being pulled apart, it was really bad. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't stand up because my legs hurt too much," she said.
Kuwahara called 911, and was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where she cleared a physical assessment. The other golfer "wasn't as injured as I was," Kuwahara said, though she said he had burns on his legs while she did not.
"I couldn't walk for a few days, and my legs were just not working for a few days, but gradually I was able to walk," Kuwahara said.
Her parents, Misa and Nori, were with her for the tournament. They initially thought she was exaggerating the incident, which made local news.
"They were really shocked to hear what happened," Kuwahara said, no pun intended.
"I just want to note that when I got electrocuted I was in so much pain that I thought I wouldn't be able to golf anymore, let alone walk. It was really scary," she said.
Yet she was back on the course July 17-21 at the 43rd IJGA Chick Evans Junior Amateur in Itasca, tying for fifth place.
"I was able to play, but my calves still hurt and I couldn't play without compresses, and I still can't walk without compresses right now," Kuwahara said last week.
Nonetheless, she finished in a three-way tie for third place at the 44th Illinois State Junior Girls Championship July 31-Aug. 2 at the Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford.
"Martha is grinding through it and continuing to play great golf," said Spartans coach Mike Schroeder.
Loyola senior Katie Magner finished in a tie for sixth place with Stevenson sophomore Sophie Joeng at Aldeen.
Glenbrook North sophomore Laura Hu finished in 18th, right in front of Glenbrook South graduate Effie Perakis, now playing golf for Maryville University in St. Louis.
Kuwahara and the Spartans then opened the 2023 high school calendar with a pair of impressive victories.
Winning the Conant Early Bird tournament at Fox Run on Aug. 10, sophomores Kuwahara and Alison Chung tied for first place, with junior Kacie Moon one shot back. Glenbrook North also got top-10 finishes from sophomores Hu and Erin Jeon, and freshman Lindsey Huang.
The next day Glenbrook North notched another victory at the Prep Tour at the site of the Class 2A state finals, Hickory Point in Decatur.
With junior Alexis Myers and Kuwahara tying for third place, the Spartans shot a 302 to win the trophy. The field included defending champion Hinsdale Central, second place Stevenson and fourth place Barrington.
Kuwahara feels fortunate to be doing anything.
"I actually looked up facts about electrocution and it said in the last 17 years there's been about 60 cases and half of them were fatal," she said.