By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
Classes at Fluvanna County High School began on Aug. 12. Nevertheless, the Fluvanna High School golf team played a dual meet against Madison County on Aug. 6 and hosted a 15 school event on Aug. 8. Teams came to the Lake Monticello course from all over central Virginia, coming east from Lynchburg and west from Richmond. Local Jefferson District schools competed as well. For the fifth year in a row, the Flucos hosted the Bockman Memorial Golf Tournament. Participation in the tournament has grown substantially. With such a large number of schools involved, a decision was made to limit the number of competitors from each school from six down to five. As is the case, when six golfers compete, only the four best scores count in the team competition.
Fluco Coach Wiley House noted that he fielded a young team, with only one senior in his starting five. The Flucos best score in the Bockman tournament was turned in by junior Thomas Hance, who shot 97. He played in the number three slot. House said that Hanse has a very nice swing and a lot of potential. Second best for Fluvanna was Blair Marshall who played in the number one slot and turned in a score of 102. She was one of the few female players to participate. Golf is one of the few sports in Virginia that is co-ed. The Fluco team was up against some very tough competition. Several schools had a top four score of around 80 per player. Low scores of 69 and 70 were posted.
In their season opening nine -hole match against Madison County the Flucos posted a win with a score of 182 -196. Hance and freshman Caleb Kimbell, who plays in the number two slot, led the way for Fluvanna, both shooting 43. Marshall contributed a score of 46 and senior Christian Wood came in at 50.
The Bockman Tournament is named in memory of George Bockman, who was a force around the high school for years. He was an assistant coach, a bus driver and the person primarily responsible for construction of the dugouts and press boxes on the baseball and softball fields. The proceeds from the tournament are contributed to the Shriners. The Shriners, or Shriners International, are a fraternal organization well known for their philanthropic contributions, mainly to the Shriners children’s hospitals around the country.
