After Deadly Shooting at MSU, Women’s Golf Team Perseveres – Together
By Tom Lang
The very nature of our cherished game of golf can provide a lot of peace and solace.
And after the shocking mass shooting at Michigan State University on the evening of Feb. 13, which took three innocent lives and caused life-altering injury to five others – if ever calm and healing was needed, it was in the days and weeks to follow.
For the MSU women’s golf team, that meant even more togetherness than normal.
Leave no one behind.
The MSU travel team had already been scheduled to fly to Florida three days after the shooting happened to take part in the Moon Golf Invitational, hosted by Louisville at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne. But they didn’t wait until then to get back together and bond, talk out their feelings and play the game they love. Instead, the following day, Valentine’s Day, the team gathered in 50-degree weather at Country Club of Lansing for a pre-planned practice.
“Coach getting us out of our rooms and being in a safe space and get us into what we’re used to, to try getting our minds off it (the shooting) to just do what we do (golf) – that was definitely therapeutic to us, all being together, to talk, laugh and that’s what we needed in those times, for sure,” said team leader and junior Leila Raines of Galena, Ohio.
Every golfer agreed they wanted to be together and play. Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll went one step further and, when all agreed, decided to take the entire team to Florida despite the fact the typical ‘travel team’ is five players.
“Having the whole team able to come was really awesome,” Raines said. “We really didn’t want to leave a few girls behind with everything that had happened. We thought it was best having strength in numbers, and that everyone would feel more safe coming together as a team. That was really crucial for the entire team concept having everyone make the trip.”
Slobodnik-Stoll pulled out all the stops, with a little last-minute help from the tournament host who agreed to add two additional MSU players to the tournament field as individual competitors and arranged for the MSU red-shirt player to golf in the practice round that Saturday and then play the other course at Suntree with members during the tournament.
“The kids were scared,” Slobodnik-Stoll said about the entire team. “Three of them were locked down in the Smith Center (at Duffy Daugherty Building). That’s where they were, studying, when it (shooting) happened, and were there from 7:00 at night until 1:00 in the morning. And when they finally were released, the SWAT team was there with full gear on, including guns.
“They walked out with their hands up. So, you talk about being 18 years old and seeing something that you probably never saw or imagined at your school; I would say was a bit tough on them. They were scared, and they didn’t want to stay back (on campus) and I knew that the travel team didn’t want to leave them at home.
“So, I called the travel agent and said I don’t even want to know how much it costs, just buy the tickets,” coach continued. “We’re bringing everyone, and it was last minute, the day before we left.”
When tournament time came, MSU understandably didn’t play all that well the first two days. But the team caught fire in the final round, where Raines scored a personal-best 7-under par. The team shot a 12-under 276 to jump from 10th place to a 5th place team finish in the 17-team field made up of mostly top 50 programs. No. 9 LSU won the event. Raines tied for first but lost in a playoff when her opponent from Augusta State drained a long eagle putt on the second hole. Raines’ efforts earned Big Ten player of the week.
Slobodnik-Stoll said MSU players wrote on their arms the initials of the three students who died. Every team wore green ribbons during the event, and the University of Michigan wore MSU hats with a green heart logo (the same day the basketball teams played at Crisler) and wore MSU branded T-shirts on the flights there and back.
“We will always remember, we will never ever forget what happened,” Slobodnik-Stoll said about the decision by players to participate in the tournament. “We want to honor the families. We want to honor the students who are in the hospital, their families, our school. And I told our team the best thing we can do is represent our school.”
The three MSU students who perished were Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser.
Raines said many on the team didn’t feel fully mentally or physically prepared to play, her included, but pressed ahead with no expectations. Just being together and representing MSU was their focus.
“I feel like when you let the expectations go and you’re playing for something more than yourself, that’s often when the best golf comes out,” she said. “It was definitely a full circle moment for sure.”
While many people focused on the MSU tragedy that week from all across the country, Slobodnik-Stoll realized that Spartan Strong was not alone.
“There were two other schools in the tournament that had gone through this: Florida State and Virginia Tech had had shootings,” she said. “And that’s not something to be proud of, but it’s also the other side of the coin when telling people you are going to be okay, and we’re going to get through this and we’ll do the right thing.
“We’re never going to forget these three young people we lost, we’re praying for the five who are injured that they can recover and come back to MSU and get their degrees and live a happy life.”
Thousands of others have the same prayer.
