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Local Teens Tote for Top Golfers
When you reach the level of play required for the U.S.
Amateur Public Links Championship, one small mistake
can mean the difference between victory and defeat. A good caddie
who knows the course well can make all the difference. So when the
best amateur players from across the country play the course this
summer in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Laurel Hill Golf Club, they may
benefit from the caddie advice of four Fairfax County teens with
impressive high school golf records of their own.
“The players are going to be counting on us,” said McLean High School senior Pari Bhargava who was selected to be in the championship caddie pool. “I can help them (the players) with what I know about the course, and they can help me with the strategy of the game. They’re at a higher level than I am, and I just want to learn all I can from them. It’s beneficial for all of us.”
“I can’t wait,” said South County High School sophomore David Rabil. “This is my home course. I know it well.”
These teens know the Laurel Hill course well because they’ve played it themselves multiple times in practice and in high school golf competitions. They know how challenging the course can be, and they know where to anticipate some of its most deceptive attributes.
“Laurel Hill is the second-highest point in Fairfax County,” said Fairfax High School sophomore Ruby Rim. “The greatest golfing challenges here are the wind and the tall grasses, and because we have played the course, we can give the players a huge advantage by offering tips and tricks on certain holes.”
Advice and strategy are only part of a caddie’s responsibilities. These teens will also need a great deal of endurance if they wind up working for a winner.
“If players advance in this tournament, they could be playing 36 holes a day,” said caddie coordinator John Caulfield, who also coaches the South County High School golf team. “The caddie will have to carry the player’s golf bag for 36 holes.” Not an easy task when you consider a large golf bag, complete with clubs, balls, tees, umbrella, drinks, snacks and first-aid items can weigh 30 lbs. or more. But these determined teens are working hard to meet the challenge.
“Being fit is very important,” Rim said. “You don’t want to ruin it for the players.”
“Caddies work really hard,” said South County High School junior Adam Bacon, who along with Rabil, will caddie if he doesn’t qualify to compete in the Championship. “Right now, I’m playing in as many local tournaments as I can. Either way it builds endurance or confidence for playing or caddying.”
The teens say their dream job would be to play professional golf. For now, they’re just thrilled at the prospect of helping some of golf’s rising stars develop a winning strategy.
See Some of the Greatest Golf Around
Laurel Hill Golf Club is in the final round of preparations for the 2013 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. For the past year, the course has been carefully manicured to meet United States Golf Association (USGA) standards, the clubhouse is getting a fresh coat of paint, the catering staff is fine-tuning food service plans and volunteers are preparing for their role in the week-long event, which has been a springboard for some of golf’s most accomplished players. Since 2000, seven U.S. Amateur Public Links champions have gone on to win professional tournaments, including Brandt Snedeker, who at press time has won five professional titles since his 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links victory and has amassed 39 top-10 finishes.
Don’t miss your chance to see some of golf’s rising stars in action July 15-20 at Laurel Hill Golf Club. The event is free, parking is available across the street at the South County High and Middle School complex, and shuttle service from the school to Laurel Hill is available.
Preservation Polls Now
Open!
Vote Daily for Colvin Run
Mill
Make your vote count in the campaign to fully restore Colvin Run Mill! The mill was recently selected as one of 25 finalists in a web-based contest sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. The site that gets the greatest number of votes will receive $100,000 in preservation prize money.
Colvin Run Mill has been around for more than 200 years, and we want to make sure the modern marvel of yesterday keeps working for generations to come. So login to www.PartnersinPreservation.com, link up and cast your vote for Colvin Run Mill! Don’t forget to share! Sharing photos, video and even the link via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and FourSquare generates more votes for the mill - the only publicly owned site in Fairfax County to be selected to compete for the prize.
Polls are open now through May 10. Vote daily, share often! Our goal is one million votes for Colvin Run Mill! So join the Million Vote Movement and keep the Big Wheel Turning for the next 200 years!
Join the Party!
See for yourself what makes Colvin Run Mill a local treasure. Stop by the mill’s open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 5 and step back in time with a glimpse of life at the mill in its glory days. Explore the mechanical marvel in action and watch blacksmith and “moonshine” still demonstrations.
Enjoy live dulcimer music while sampling Chef Laurie Bell’s scrumptious corn meal creations, visit with baby farm animals near the mill and shop for old-time treats at the general store. While you’re there, cast your vote for Colvin Run Mill and share your photos of the day to generate more momentum for the Million Vote Movement. Attendance counts, too! So mark your calendar for May 5 and head to the party at the mill, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls, Va. We’ll see you there!
Water Fun for Everyone
There’s nothing like cool splash of water on a hot summer day, and the Park Authority offers plenty of water fun options for the whole family!
The Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole at Lake Fairfax Park. Experience more than an acre of slides, flumes, sprays, showers, floatables and interactive play features with a Western theme. Most attractions are designed for elementary-aged children, although there’s something here for everyone. Tenderfoot Pond, with its pint-sized slides and gentle bubblers, gives toddlers a perfect place for water play. Teenagers can join a game of water volleyball, and everyone has fun going with the flow in a tube on Rattlesnake River. Open May 25th!
Our Special Harbor sprayground at Lee District Park. This fully accessible complex features Chesapeake Bay-themed attractions including a spraying osprey nest, Chessie the sea serpent, misting sunflowers and a lighthouse. The beach area is quieter with softer bubblers and interactive water tables. The computerized water maze and dumping crab basket provide more lively activity. Aqua shoes must be worn by everyone who enters the spray pad. Limited shoes are available for purchase in a variety of sizes and can also be purchased at area department stores. Open May 25th!
Plunge into a pool at all nine Park Authority RECenters! Pools are indoors, so there’s no risk of sunburn. From lap swimming in the main pool to casual water fun in the leisure pool everyone gets to play in the water. The Cub Run RECenter leisure pool offers additional options with slides, bubblers, fountains, a “river” current and other fun features. RECenter admission includes pool privileges. Open year round!*
*Pool hours vary depending on scheduled activities, such as swim meets, classes and annual pool maintenance. For up-to-date information, call the RECenter of your choice, or see each RECenter’s pool calendar online.“It’s a great way to get toned, stay fit and burn calories,” said certified TRX Suspension Training instructor John Quackenbush during a class at Cub Run RECenter. “I do it two times a week to do something different from weights, and my mom, who is almost 60, does it. Really anyone can do all of the exercises and progress.”
“I decided to sign up for the class because I just wanted to challenge myself and try something new; keep it interesting,” said student Heather Coxton who makes personal fitness a priority. “When I’m done, I feel like I’ve used almost every muscle, including muscles I probably didn’t even know I had,” she said with a laugh.
TRX Suspension Training was invented in 1997 by a Navy SEAL to help his squadron exercise when deployed. Randy Hetrick’s invention weighed less than three pounds and allowed service personnel to get a great workout practically anywhere, including the tight quarters of a submarine. Today it’s regularly used by military personnel, public safety workers and private citizens, and now you can get all the benefits of TRX Suspension Training through group classes at Fairfax County Park Authority RECenters.
“I would definitely recommend it because I think anyone could do it,” Coxton said. “I think it’s a good overall workout in an hour – you get in, get out and you’re done.”
BABIES ON THE FARM
See some of the newest additions to the Frying Pan Farm Park family! Calves,
piglets and lambs are among the new livestock born on the farm. Visit
soon. These babies grow up fast!
Pardon Our Progress
Two Fairfax County RECenters are getting a long-awaited makeover thanks to the park bond voters approved in the November 2012 election. At press time, construction was set to begin at Oak Marr RECenter in Oakton, and the fitness room was slated to close in May while the pool and classes continue to operate.
“The fitness room will remain closed for the duration of the project,” said Oak Marr manager Kirt Chase. “We regret the inconvenience to our customers, but the tradeoff is a much larger fitness facility with new, state-of-the-art equipment when it opens in summer 2014. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Oak Marr’s growing pains will also include a five-week shutdown period for the entire facility beginning sometime in September 2013. During that time, the building entrance, mezzanine and offices will be reworked to make room for a larger lobby and one new classroom. Pool operations and classes are scheduled to resume by late fall. The new addition, scheduled to open in summer 2014, will include three new classrooms and a two-story fitness center.
Construction is also scheduled to begin later this year at Spring Hill RECenter. The plan
features a new, two-story fitness center with state-of-the-art
equipment, a multipurpose room , a gymnasium with a high school sized
basketball court and an elevated, 440’ track. 
In addition,
the existing locker rooms will be renovated to provide more privacy
in the shower area and to add five family changing rooms. The impact
on existing RECenter services is expected to be minimal with the
exception of the pool, which will have to be closed for about six
weeks in late summer 2014. The Spring Hill construction project is
expected to be completed by winter 2014.
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