After participating in varsity girls’ swimming this past fall, sophomore Lily Rostal said she decided to continue playing golf this spring to further develop her abilities as a golfer.

“To improve I’ve just been doing a lot of practicing — practice is the key to being better at golf,” Rostal said. “Zach, my coach, has been really helpful in giving tips on how to get better.”

According to Rostal, her dad influenced her decision to join the golf team her freshman year.

“I joined the high school team last year as a freshman, but my dad works at a golf course, so he got me into golf younger,” Rostal said. “Then, I had some friends on the team last year, and they convinced me to do it, and so that’s one of the main reasons why I joined last year.”

Assistant coach Amanda Forsberg said this is her first year teaching Rostal golf, but her fifth year coaching her in swimming.

“I’ve known her in terms of swimming because this is her fourth year on the team for swimming, (and) this is my first year coaching golf with her,” Forsberg said. “She’s great. She’s a hard worker, she’s always staying positive, she really encourages her teammates. She’s really well liked on the team, really well respected.”

Rostal said her many years working with Forsberg on sports teams established a close relationship between them.

“I love Forberg, she’s my favorite. I feel like I can talk to her about a lot of things, and she always knows what to say,” Rostal said.

Rostal said she hopes to improve, but also enjoys the laid back atmosphere of the team.

“I like everyone on the golf team, it’s super fun,” Rostal said. “It’s really chill. You could be on the practice team if you just didn’t want to play in any matches. (Players) don’t have to be good or anything, it’s just very chill.”

According to Forsberg, the biggest key for new golfers is keeping a positive attitude.

“Just trying to stay positive and realizing that golf can be a very trying sport, a lot of it is mental, and just sticking with it (is important), and she’s more than willing to go to the matches and the practices and get better,” Forsberg said.

Forsberg said despite an unexpectedly short season due to bad weather, she hopes to see Rostal end the season on a good note.

“JV only has two matches left, so I’m just hoping that she finishes on a strong suit,” Forsberg said. “It’s been a short season just with all the bad weather, just a lot of golf in a very short time.”

Rostal said although her golf skills are not applicable to swimming, she continues playing both because she enjoys them.

“(Golf and swimming) aren’t really complementary, and one doesn’t help the other, but I like them both,” Rostal said.

The team’s varsity conference match is at 7:30 a.m. May 14 at the Rush Creek Golf Club.