Women’s Golf Blog: Friends “On The Road”

For those of us in the Penn State community it is no surprise to cross paths with fellow Penn Staters! It happens frequently, in particular when you stand out wearing nothing but Nittany Lions apparel! I once was on a long trip with my team and we decided to count the number of “We Are” chants we received from random “friends”.  This past week we began our spring season at the University of Central Florida’s Invitational at Eagle Creek Golf Course. 

As I was registering the team, I spotted a man with a Nittany Lion shirt on, his name tag covering part of the Lion.  I said hello, making a friendly comment about how his name tag was covering the lion.  He quickly exclaimed he was the general manager and had to be discreet with his allegiance since they were hosting the tournament for UCF.  As we casually chatted, I found out his family name is Johnston, as in Johnston Commons on our campus! His parents were instrumental in giving back to Penn State over the years and still own a home in State College. 

We have supporters of our women’s golf program for over twenty years, Mary and Al Bilzi that have retired to Florida.  They make a point of following the team and showing up at all our Florida stops over the years.  Mary calls them her “staycations”. They are lovely people and have been extremely generous to our program.  Mary Bilzi has a scholarship in her name to our program. They enjoy meeting the players and cheering them on, counting the birdies along the way.

We are extremely grateful for the friends of our program and would not be able to have these experiences, without their support.  I have been with the team for over thirty years and I am so encouraged by the people that have stepped up and helped make these opportunities a reality for so many of my players. 

I always jokingly tell my players don’t forget about us after you graduate.  We do have a number of our athletes that give back to Penn State and their respective programs.  It does baffle me however, when I know some have been given so much while here at Penn State, yet we never hear from them.   I think there is a misunderstanding that in order to be a “friend” of the program you need to have large resources to give.  It is always the little things that make us all stronger and better over time. 

I constantly remind my players of the “compound”…