Hi Illini Fans,

This past weekend we were in Venice, Florida, for our annual Illinois Challenge, a match play event against Illinois State University. It is always fun to see these girls as some of us grew up playing junior golf with them. For the seventh year in a row, we won the event, but more importantly we were able to get ready for our spring season by being in a competitive mindset and having some quality practice sessions. Venice Golf and Country Club has always provided us with such kind hospitality and we were very fortunate to go back again this year. The weather was perfect and I think we chose the right weekend to be away from Champaign!

During the two weeks leading into this tournament, we were paired with one or two team members whom we played the matches with. We were able to practice playing a match play format and learn about each others' golf game. I was paired up with Dana and this tiny but mighty team was as ready as we would ever be! We fought hard until the very end when Dana made a long birdie putt to tie the match on the 18th hole. We also played until the very end for our single matches where Dana won the 18th hole to tied her match but unfortunately I lost on the last hole. We played until the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky! It was nice to see teammates and members rooting for us until the very end.

Everybody was able to travel for this tournament and it is always fun to spend time with the whole team. We got a chance to stay with host families and some of us can say that this could be the best part of the trip every year. All our host families were our biggest fans out there as they cheered us on and stuck with us for both rounds of golf; that's almost 10 hours of golf! Dana and I were very fortunate to have stayed with Liesel and Ernst Ladebeck. Liesel fed us with plenty of food that she made from scratch! Even though we only stayed with them for two nights, they treated us like their own granddaughters and we were very lucky to get to spend the weekend with them. I would have to say that even though the purpose of this trip was for a golf tournament, these relationships we built with the host families and the people that we have met will be cherished for a long time. Everywhere we went and every time we made the turn, I would hear someone shouting "Go Illini!" There were a few Illinois alumni that I met as well who had graduated from the U of I many many years ago!

This year we were very fortunate to be able to practice at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples on Monday. Dana's family, Gwen and Alan Lee and Sam and Linda Palazzole welcomed us to their homes Sunday night. Once again we were very well fed and if you know anything about this team, it is that we love being fed! Gwen and Linda prepared food for us Sunday night as well as lunch on Monday before we departed while Mrs. Gattone made breakfast for the whole team on Monday morning. We used our day in the warm weather to our advantage and worked on all different areas we wanted to focus on and the practice facility at Tiburon was perfect for us to do just that.

The Illinois Challenge was a great experience for us all to travel together and get ready for the spring season. We would like to thank our host families, Venice Country Club, and Tiburon Golf Club for this opportunity for us to practice and play. The win was great but more importantly all of us learned at least a few things about ourselves and know what we need to do to prepare for a great spring season. I am looking forward to my last season here as an Illini and I hope you will stay tuned for more updates as we travel to Arizona at the end of this month!

Go Illini!

Pim Thirati