WESM Local/Regional News
(2009-04-30)
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(Photo courtesy: Guiri R. Reyes / flickr)
At a press conference on Wednesday, UMES President Thelma B. Thompson said that the formation of the men's golf team represents the realization of a dream to build upon the school's existing golf programs - including the UMES Golf Academy and the school's newly accredited Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program.
I asked Dr. Thompson about her impression of the new announcement:
"Golf is a very special game. Among all the sports, this one is looked upon as a choice for businessmen -- and for people in professions. And it has certain cultural values that we will now incorporate. And so I'm happy to be introducing the golf team, because it means that in terms of culture and in terms of how we present our athletes, it's a widening of the spectrum."UMES Athletic Director Keith Davidson also noted that the last time UMES fielded a men's golf team was 1961. However, he says the newest incarnation of the golf team was the result of a collaboration between the UMES Athletic Department and the PGM Program.
Here's Mr. Davidson:
"It's something that's at its infancy right now. You know, we are going to draw upon the membership of the PGM Program, to field our team from. With that and what new students we're able to bring into the program this summer, I feel more than confident that we'll be able to field a competitive team ... So we're excited about the prospect of starting golf and our ability to be competitive early on."Also at the press conference, Ms. Jamila Johnson was named as the head coach of the UMES men's golf team. Ms. Johnson comes from the Detroit area and has had extensive experience in the sport of golf, as both a player and a golf instructor - receiving numerous golfing awards over the past 28 years.
I asked Ms. Johnson how it felt to be named the new head coach:
"You know what? I'm just ecstatic, actually, to be head coach for the program. For me this is a great opportunity to be part of something that is just so much bigger than myself - to help move the next generation towards greatness ...Ms. Johnson also adds that she looks forward to recruiting new golfers from the across the country for the team.
One of the things that I look forward to doing in the fall is ... we will be having open tryouts for the team. And to be able to open this up to the whole university ... we actually have a lot of talent on the campus that maybe for one reason or another, they are not part of the PGM Program - but they are nonetheless talented, and this is a great opportunity for them to shine as well ..."
The newly formed team will start playing in the Fall 2009 off-season, and then compete in the regular Spring 2010 season. The university's president said she looked forward to seeing the new men's golf team experience as much success as the champion UMES Women's Bowling Team.
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