IU prepares for Puerto Rico amid harsh winter weather

They practice five days a week for two hours at a time.

They shoot at a white net and practice their fundamentals in the gym.

One of the Hoosier basketball teams?

No, these are the practice conditions for the IU women’s golf team, which begins its season Feb. 13 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

Due to the winter weather that covered Bloomington with inches of snow during the previous weeks, the team has yet to practice outside since its last tournament in the fall.

Despite the weather that has plagued large parts of the country, IU coach Clint Wallman said these harsh weather conditions won’t hold the team back in Puerto Rico.

“The weather across the country has been pretty rugged, and I’m sure there are some teams out there playing a little or hitting balls,” Wallman said. “But for us, we can work on things that are really fundamental and very important like putting, grip, stance and posture. Fundamentals like putting are what is rustiest when you come out of winter, but it’s the fastest area where we can gain shots too.”

In the span of four or five days during a tournament week, the team travels, plays a practice round and plays with three rounds of competition.

The grind of the schedule has taken some getting used to for the team. In the fall, the Hoosiers often began the final day in second or third place but fell to fifth or sixth because of mistakes in the closing holes.

“We’ve got to work on staying in it mentally,” junior Kristtini Cain said. “We’ve got to learn to push through wanting to be done on that last day. We have the capabilities, and we have a very strong team, but it’s just getting to the finish line and not quitting early.”

By not letting the weather keep them out of their offseason rhythm, the team is striving to better prepare itself for the rigors of the five-day road trips.

According to freshman Lindsay Gahm, months of practicing in Gladstein Fieldhouse have left the Hoosiers hungry for competition.

“With playing in Puerto Rico, it makes it more exciting,” she said. “I’m pumped to go play, to get out of the cold weather. It’s a big tournament with Purdue; they won nationals and it’s their tournament, but I’m ready to go out and play.”

Facing an in-state rival and exchanging the Midwest winter for the Puerto Rico sun have been the Hoosiers’ recipe to fuel their offseason motivation.

But Gahm said that golfing outside the walls of the Gladstein Fieldhouse will not automatically translate into results.  

“Coach’s big quote, from Nike of course, is ‘Just Do It,’” Gahm said. “We always say we have a lot of potential to be good, but now in the spring season we have to do it instead of saying it.”

And Wallman expects nothing less from his players. He said their team chemistry sets them apart from any other squad he’s ever coached, and this season he sees their progress reflected on the course.

“I think you’re going to see a much different team than what we had in the fall,” Wallman said. “They’re more composed and aware of where they want to go and how they want to get there. We’re going into a pretty loaded field (in Puerto Rico), but I expect us to play smart, be very efficient with our strokes and keep our attention on the intention.”