Belle Vernon girls golf team finally tees off for its inaugural season

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, August 29, 2023 | 12:48 AM

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As Vittoria Scaramucci pushed a tee into the ground, set her golf ball on it and took aim down the fairway, the intensity of the moment began to set in.

This wasn’t any ordinary tee shot Aug. 18 at Cedarbrook Golf Course’s Red Course. It was the first one in Belle Vernon girls golf history.

With interest in the game up, Belle Vernon opted to finally form a a girls team.

⛳️????????‍♀️ And They’re Off!!!

First girls golf match vs Bethel Park in program history. Vittoria Scaramucci hit the first tee shot for the program. pic.twitter.com/wdU1RI1SXl

— BVASD Athletic Department (@BvasdAthletics) August 18, 2023

The fledgling Leopards hosted Bethel Park in their first match. They will play a lighter schedule, like a new restaurant that is having a soft opening. The team will be an official, in-section WPIAL member next fall as part of the new two-year enrollment cycle.

Coach Melvin Gouker pushed to get the team in a section this season but to no avail.

Previously, girls played on the boys team.

“We have about six matches or tournaments on the schedule,” Gouker said. “I have had huge numbers of golfers for the past couple of years. I usually have about 20 boys and eight girls. I had trouble getting my girl players an opportunity since my boys team has been doing so well.

“Being runner-up for the WPIAL championship, it’s hard to crack the lineup.”

Gouker could send only one girl to a WPIAL qualifier, which caused distress and gave another reason for a girls team to be formed.

“Our (athletic director) Matt Humbert would always ask, are we ready for a girls team?” Gouker said. “With several younger girls to build a team around, I thought it was a good time to get it together.”

The Belle Vernon boys, who again look like a WPIAL contender, made the WPIAL finals last year and lost by a stroke to Quaker Valley in a playoff at Cedarbrook (Gold).

Gouker has found the time to coach the boys and girls teams. Some scheduling manipulation allowed it to happen.

“It is very difficult to manage both teams, but I have scheduled them during the same days to bounce back and forth,” he said. “We just had a match against Geibel (boys) and Bethel Park (girls) only 30 minutes minutes apart, so it gets hectic. I couldn’t do it without my new volunteer assistants, Kirby Manown and Jerry Maley. They have been a big part of bringing this together.

“I have always worked with all our golfers as much as I can. It’s very difficult to manage 30 golfers, but splitting them up has helped a lot.”

For the girls to one day reach the level of the boys, Gouker said the task is as much mental as it is physical.

“I believe just getting over nerves is the hardest part,” he said. “Most girls on the team don’t have much competition experience, but you have to start somewhere. I wanted to get the ball rolling even though the team might not be competitive out of the gate. It’s about building something for the future as well getting more girls interested in the game.

“Golf is a great game to enjoy with family and friends. These girls look like they are having fun, and that literally is all that matters to me.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon