Golf: Helping hand at Lewiston

Jose Leiva/Sun Journal Todd Sherry the new assistant golf coach at Lewiston High School.

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- Jose Leiva/Sun Journal

2010 Sun Journal golf outlook

Last year was a pretty lean year for area golf squads with the exception of St. Dom's, which again proved just how powerful a golf school it has become. Things are looking up for a few more of the area's schools this season, though.

KVAC

Traditional powerhouses Cony and Brunswick are again expected to be the teams to beat overall, but none of the area's schools are about to sit back and watch them take top honors easily.

Lewiston returns a solid core of three at the top, and if some of the newer additions to the team can mature quickly enough, the Blue Devils should at least duplicate last year's 7-3 record and challenge for a victory in the KVAC playoffs, and perhaps a berth in the state tourney.

Mt. Blue, in the North, is off to a roaring early-season start, and the Cougars may have had some holes to fill, but the younger players from a year ago have really come into their own over the summer, according to coach Mark Cyr.

Edward Little and Oxford Hills are similar in that neither will likely factor into the state championship or conference championship chatter, but both are teams that the top teams might think twice about facing if they get them on the road.

In Class B, Leavitt is thinking state title. An early road win against Winslow at Natanis has the team stoked, and the Hornets have a pretty deep team and should be a force in their division of the KVAC. Oak Hill should be a step up from last season, and individually, both schools have a contender at the state level on the girls' side, with Leavitt's Karly Soracco and Oak Hill's Alexis Priest.

MVC

There isn't much to suggest St. Dom's is done being among the top Class C teams in the state, and that means that, likely, every other team in the MVC is vying for second place. The Saints' stronghold at Fox Ridge in Auburn is such an advantage, it's scary. Led by another strong and deep junior class, along with a few veteran seniors, the Saints are the favorites here.

Livermore Falls had a strong early-season win over Mountain Valley on the road, and the Andies will be among those teams trying to track the Saints down. Losing only one varsity player from a 9-5 team will help.

Mountain Valley, Dirigo and Telstar should all be in the mix for an MVC playoff berth, though two of the three (Mountain Valley and Telstar) need to fill in after key graduation losses. The Cougars, meanwhile, have everyone back and should raide that natural progression into competitiveness.

WMC

It's been a while since we've been able to say this, but Poland is once again one of the favorites in the conference, and certainly in its division. The Knights return a deep group of seniors from a team that went 8-3 a year ago, but the state qualifier has been moved from Willowdale to Natanis, which will undoubtedly skew some of the qualifying stats.

Gray-New Gloucester is replacing nearly everyone from top to bottom, including a coach this year. Don't count them out entirely, but the Patriots are going to be hard-pressed to find the playoffs this year in such a deep conference.

EWC

Greenville always seems to be just one step ahead, and every time it appears Rangeley is coming close, the Lakers find a way through.

This year, Rangeley again has the potential to topple the perennial power and reach the Class C tourney, thanks to a veteran group of players at the top of the lineup.

Bob Blanchette wasn't actively looking for an assistant coach, but he wasn't going to turn down one of the better opportunities he'd had fall into his lap.

While substitute teaching one day (Blanchette is a retired full-time teacher) at an elementary school in Lewiston, one of the teachers — a former student of his — mentioned that her husband had a pretty solid golf background, and that he may be interested in volunteering as an assistant.

Later that day at lunch, Blanchette sat down with her husband, also a teacher at the school, and talked about the game. He liked what he heard, and the two contacted each other again this summer.

When practice began at Martindale Country Club a couple of weeks ago, Todd Sherry officially signed on as the team's assistant, and he's taken under his wing the players who are not regulars on the varsity squad.

"It's a godsend to have him around," Blanchette said. "He knows a lot about the game, and it has a positive impact, especially on the kids I can't always take to the away matches."

An extra body is nice, of course. But the fact that Sherry knows the game is a tremendous bonus.

Strong background

Sherry was lucky, in a way. His childhood home was on a golf course — a very nice golf course — and one of his neighbors was professional golfer Joey Sindelar.

"I'd be out playing golf, and he'd be home from a tournament and he and his father and sometimes his sister would be out shagging balls they'd hit onto one of the greens from their backyard," Sherry said. "I got to see them all the time and meet them while I was out playing."

There was little surprise that Sherry grew into a better-than-average golfer himself. He played regularly as a student, both in high school and in college for Elmira College in New York.

"I was medalist a few times," Sherry said, unassumingly. "I was OK. Division III was definitely more my speed, too."

During one of his summers, another neighbor's connection landed him an enviable summer gig as a caddie — on the LPGA Tour.

"(My neighbor) Billy (Cox) was also friends with Laurie Rinker-Graham, and she used to stay there when the Corning Classic was being played in the area," Sherry said. "When I got to college, Laurie was visiting next door again, and she asked me if I wanted to caddie for her for the summer. I couldn't say no."

Sherry spent the summer on Rinker-Graham's bag.

"I learned so much that summer about what it was like to be a professional golfer, how they think about things and what they do," Sherry said

But when he finished college, based a lot on what he'd learned as a caddie, he knew professional golf wasn't for him. And when Sherry's parents decided to move to Florida, he was faced with a decision.

"I didn't want to go to Florida with them, so I figured I'd move to Maine to be closer to Amie (now his wife)," Sherry said. "I move out this way in 2002."

Upon arriving in Maine, Sherry began work almost immediately as a teacher in the Lewiston school system. Golf, which had been a major part of his life, was now on hold.

"I went from playing almost every day to playing maybe twice a year," Sherry said.

Path to the present

The job as Lewiston High School's golf coach opened four years ago. Sherry contemplated applying, but still early in his career and in his marriage, he decided against it.

"I was afraid of it interfering with my job," Sherry said. "But I always wanted to be a coach. When I was eight years old, I was out on the course helping some of the older guys out there with their swings."

This year, thanks to the chance meeting between his wife and Blanchette, he had the opportunity to at least be involved. And he grabbed it, even if it meant a few hurdles first.

The Lewiston School Department tightened its policy this year regarding volunteer assistant coaches, who now have to go through the same background checks and tests that full-time coaches do.

"I kind of like that, because now, when you have someone who's on the fence about being a volunteer, this helps weed out those who maybe aren't as serious," Blanchette said.

Tests taken and checks passed (a bit easier since he'd endured those to begin with as a full-time teacher), Sherry began the season with the team, and hit the ground running.

"He's young and enthusiastic, which is a great balance," Blanchette said, "because I'm old and crotchety. Honestly, our personalities mesh beautifully."

"It also gives me another person to talk to and bounce ideas off of," Blanchette said. "My top three golfers are pretty set, but right now, our (other) spots are a crapshoot, and when it comes to making those choices for each match for the season, it's nice to have someone to talk to about it."

With a deep team in terms of numbers already, the Blue Devils may now have the right balance to parlay that into depth of talent, as well, which is a dangerous proposition for the rest of the KVAC.

"It gives us someone who helps keep the kids playing, interested and competing on a daily basis, which helps to make the team stronger and deeper," Blanchette said.