It’s on five golfers to hold up a championship legacy. And it turns out three of them live in the same household. “We’ve been there every year finishing fifth, sixth, and seventh,” said Frank Gallant, Springfield Catholic’s head coach. “Just outside the number.”
“Grace Tiedemann, the senior, she’s gotten better about communicating,” Gallant said. “The other two, Ava and Olivia, they’re sweethearts. They’re shy girls. I’ve got to pry any information talking out of them.”
So we gave the microphone to Grace while we interviewed all three. The first question: How long have the Tiedemann sisters been doing this? “When we started walking probably,” Grace said. “Really, really young, probably when we were four or five.”
And just like walking, once junior Ava and freshman Olivia saw their big sister take big swings, they were ready to join in too. “Being the middle child really makes me look up to my older sister and inspires me to play better,” said Ava. “And then also my younger sister, it makes me want to be a good example.”
“Having older sisters on the team really inspire me to work harder and do better,” said Olivia. “And really the whole team is a family.”
This family never fights right? Like when they had to choose their bedrooms at their new house. Grace has the biggest bedroom, right? “No Ava does,” Grace said.
“I have the smallest closet though,” Ava added.
“Liv got the worst deal,” Grace said, with a laugh. “She has the same closet size as me. And I have my own bathroom. And they [Ava and Olivia] share a bathroom. There was a moment we had to choose and I remember trying to trade with Ava. And then Ava let me, but then she changed her mind.”
And like those bedrooms they each bring something great to this team. Because of the program’s success this small school has to compete against the largest schools in the state. “Everyone thought we were done.” Gallant said. “This group, as far as keeping it going, oh, they’ve kept it going to the highest extreme. As far as continuing the legacy, they are just going to keep it rolling because we have more kids coming.”
And coach Gallant wouldn’t trade them for anything.
