Photograph by George Sakkestad
Sunnyvale resident Kathy Bertsch wears the gold medal she won at the Special Olympics.
By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Sunnyvale resident Kathy Bertsch drove, chipped and putted her way to a gold medal in golf skills at the Special Olympics summer games June 8.
Bertsch, 30, who has only played golf a few months, said she was excited to beat out her six competitors from around the state. Athletes have competed in the Special Olympics since 1968.
"When I first started to learn, it was frustrating, but then I got the hang of it," she said.
Although she attended special education classes in school and qualifies for the Special Olympics program, for which developmentally disabled athletes are eligible, it hasn't stopped Bertsch from racking up three gold medals and one silver from her years as a competitive athlete. Bertsch's other medals came in basketball, bowling and tennis.
Bertsch gave golf a shot at the suggestion of Cara Capaldo, director of training for the Special Olympics. This is the first year the Special Olympics has offered a golf program, Capaldo said.
"I knew she'd be good at it. Kathy is very good at sports and golf is something she can do on her own," she said. Capaldo added that she golfs and loves it and tries to get as many people involved in the sport as possible.
"It's a slightly more difficult sport and she has shown a potential for it; she has a natural ability. If she keeps it up, she will be able to compete at the nine-hole level next year," Capaldo said.
Bertsch did not compete in the higher-level golf competition, which requires athletes to play nine holes. Instead she competed in a skills contest, where contenders putted, drove and chipped.
Capaldo said the Special Olympics give people a chance to compete who would otherwise not have the opportunity. "We don't say 'you can't do that.' We really try to encourage athletes to compete to the best of their abilities and we don't set limits," she said.
Bertsch practices every three days at Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club, honing her skills of the different strokes used throughout a golf game. She explained that golfers drive the ball from the tee, putt when they're on the green and chip the ball back onto the green if it strays.
"It's a fun sport. I like hitting the ball and being outside," she said.
She said she was nervous before the competition, and felt like she had something to prove.
"Some of the other athletes tease that golf isn't really a sport. I wanted to prove that it is," she said.
When Bertsch isn't hitting golf balls, she works as a cashier in the cafeteria at Hewlett-Packard's corporate offices in Palo Alto.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 19, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.