Stephanie Slavik, the mother of a first-time golfer, said attending the girls’ golf informational parent meeting left her feeling confident about the expectations for the rest of the season on behalf of her daughter, junior Paige Slavik.

“(Coach) Zach went through the basics of his expectations in terms of transportation and after-play snacks and just sort of the basics. It was good to hear about (how) not all kids will get to play every game or meet,” Slavik said. “I wasn’t aware of that, so it was good that he let us know so we can understand that that won’t be a surprise during the season when they get started.”

According to coach Zach Strouts, the biggest message conveyed at the meeting was the importance of players prioritizing their academics over athletics.

“They’re obviously students (first) and athletes second, so school, family, church, synagogue — all that type of stuff comes first, and then golf will just kind of always be there for them,” Strouts said. “So they need to understand that school is always first and that’s just the way that’s going to be.”

Strouts said he also values the integrity of the players both on and off the course.

“(I covered the) rules about what I expect and how I expect girls to act when nobody’s watching,” Strouts said. “We’re always doing the right thing when no one’s watching.”

According to Slavik, golf remains a valuable skill because it’s a lifelong sport.

“This is actually our first year — my daughter’s a junior and this is the year she chose to try a new sport, so this is the first for our family,” Slavik said. “My husband and I have played golf for many many years and she’s never joined us, so I’m just excited that she’s getting to know the basics and interested in the sport so that it’s something as a family we can do in the summer and the other months together.”

Strouts said the large number of student and parent engagement at the meeting left him eager for the rest of the season.

“It’s always kind of the same thing for me — I don’t expect too much out of the kids, I don’t expect too much out of the parents, and it’s pretty short and sweet for me,” Strouts said. “I feel like we had a ton of parents here, we got a ton of the student-athletes, so I’m hoping all these people are committed and it looks good so far.”

The team’s first match is at 2 p.m. April 10 at the Bluff Creek Golf Course.